Dusk Boulevard
by Asterixa
Summary: ...yes, it IS another one. Drama and angst abounds as Tayuya once again appears to disturb Kabuto and Sasuke's comfortable life, and... what's this! Naruto's got a new stalker! And this one is a bit more of a challenge...AU,YAOI,MPREG GaaNaru, KabuSasu.
1. Chapter 1

Hey allz!!!

WAAAASSSUUUUP?!

Sorry. Slight nicotine overdose.

Okay, this is the THIRD story in this fucking epic.

Much love to all those who've stuck with me so far!!!

Now, this one _will _have mpreg. In case you're one of those who'll press the back button because of that, then I'm disappointed in you, because obviously I can't stick with a plot strand enough to have only _one _in a fic and just as obviously mpreg won't be all there is to this story.

And the title is courtesy of **lonelycandyangel**'s brilliance!!!!!! Even though she doesn't even _like _mpreg!!! So give her a round of applause!

Randomness: Die Toten Hosen, 'Bonnie und Clyde'.

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Dusk Boulevard

"Hey, kid, leave the food out, okay? I've got a new model coming over later."

Naruto nodded and grinned. "Sure, Anko."

The painter settled back into her blankets and pillows and tossed back a swig of rum, grimacing as she swallowed. The canvas before her was layered in blues and blacks, and it looked like a mottled bruise. A pack of ready-made _dango _lay next to her, already half-empty.

Naruto looked around the sprawling room critically. Every second day he came here and folded and sorted all of Anko's stuff, put it away, cleaned the floors and the toilet niche, and usually ended up cooking lunch. He was out by two in the afternoon, after which he went up to the fourth floor and cleaned one of the other apartments, which belonged these two guys who smoked weed as if it ran through their veins.

The room was spotless, except for the area around Anko's couch and the canvas—Naruto wasn't allowed near there with his cleaning stuff.

"All right, then I'm off," he said.

Anko nodded and gestured lazily to one corner of the couch, where a ten-cel-chip lay—she always rounded his pay, the people in this building really had to have serious cash—and turned back to glaring at her painting. She was wearing the loose, threadbare tan sweater that she always had on, and blue silk boxers. "Yeah, get out."

The blonde just laughed, slipped the chip into his jeans pocket and picked up the cleaning stuff, going to the entrance area and putting it all away. He slipped on his shoes and his jacket and pulled the heavy, screeching sliding door open and then closed it again behind him.

He swung nimbly onto the ladder—in the almost four months he'd been working in here, he'd slowly gotten used to the rickety and rather dangerous-seeming state everything was in.

All the apartments belonged to either painters or sculptors, except for the second on the ground floor, where a choleric author lived—Naruto had cleaned Anko's place once while he was in one of his rages, and it had been pretty funny. Scary, but funny.

He stepped onto the walkway and walked down to the second door, knocking. Loud old rock was pounding through the metal of the entrance, and it took Naruto two more poundings before the door slid open with a pitiful creak. A dark man with spiky mussed hair peered out at him. His eyes were bloodshot from pot, and he stared at Naruto curiously for a few moments before it clicked and, "Oh...hi. Come in, come in."

Naruto bit back a laugh and slipped through the door. He'd been cleaning here for two months now—Anko had said these guys had been looking for a cleaner, and he'd just gone up and asked one day—and every time he came it was the same. Whichever one opened the door, he would either be drunk or stoned or both out of his mind and it would take long seconds for him to recognize the blonde.

The apartment was the same basic set-up as Anko's, but the guys had sectioned off an atelier, a bedroom, and a bathroom. The kitchen was crammed into the entrance area, and Naruto always took his shoes off to the smell of the overflowing trashcan.

The doors to the atelier were always open, and Naruto could see the one who'd opened the door for him leaning against the door frame and heard him mutter slowly, "It's just the cleaner kid, Genma."

A soft grunt sounded from inside the studio and then, "Get back in here, Raidou... 'need to finish this sketch now."

"Sure, whateverrr..." Raidou muttered, and shuffled into the room.

Naruto loved watching them. So fucking funny.

He dragged out the broom, rags and the detergents, and half-cursed all these people for not investing in a vacuum cleaner. The kitchen machines that had been squeezed into the entrance area had been really, really filthy when Naruto's first cleaned here; it had almost reminded him of his Daddy's old place. No cockroaches, though.

He stretched and carried a bucket of hot water from the kitchen sink into the bedroom, starting to pick up all the tossed around clothes and trash. Clothes went into the big hamper the guys used as their closet, and trash went into a plastic bag Naruto'd brought from the entrance area.

The blonde worked quickly; he didn't mind doing this. It was a sort of drone job, mindless and relaxing. By now, what with cleaning Genma and Raidou's place as well, he earned almost two hundred and fifty cel a month... which was awesome. Still only around two-thirds of what he'd earned on Whore...

But then, this life had Gaara in it, and that was priceless.

°

Shino let a pair of bugs crawl over his wrist, and Ino squealed in disgust. "Shino!"

Kiba laughed raucously. "Man, you should be used to Shino's hobby by now."

Tenten leaned over and grinned, "Aw, come on, Ino can't help it that she's a girly girl."

Ino stuck out her tongue and took a swig of the wine bottle that was going around.

It was cool but not icy, and the winter wind had calmed down a few weeks ago, staying surprisingly steady since then. The Konoha's signs were blinking brightly, and the sky was a light, almost bright gray.

Shikamaru was listening to music, lying down and very quiet. Ino, Tenten, Kiba and Shino were all sitting in Ino and Tenten's little messy nest, now and then leaning out to pass the bottle on to Haku, Naruto and Sasuke, who were sitting on Sasuke's mattress and discussing cucumber salad.

It was late afternoon.

Haku and Sasuke were smoking, and with the weak wind it curled up towards the awning and dissipated slowly.

Sasuke inhaled deeply and held the smoke in, enjoying the fact that for once that act didn't force him to cough—the cold had been deadly for his throat. Haku and Naruto were arguing about how much sour cream one had to add for the right sourness of the salad.

The three or so months since the finalization of the divorce had been... well... nice.

All right, they had been very nice.

...they'd been wonderful.

The kids had warmed even more to him—which, in the case of Tsume, was quite a feat—and once Chouji had overcome his initial embarrassment about what had happened at Naruto's birthday party, they'd come to a sort of comfortable agreement.

And Kabuto...

Well.

Nothing had really changed there, unless it was for the better, and then Sasuke didn't really want to dissect it too deeply. It might hurt even more when it ended if he did that.

In the Konoha, not much had changed. Tenten was still with Temari, Lee was still spouting sappy sweetness about Neji... Shino and Kiba were the same strange couple that they had been before, and Kakashi and Iruka had only gotten more exhibitionist.

Sasuke started as a punch slammed into his shoulder, and Naruto's bright grin pierced his thoughts. "Oy, bastard—we're talking to you!"

"I know how to make cucumber salad, thank you very much."

"Oh really? How much sour cream do _you _add?" Haku asked sternly, his long beautiful hair falling over one shoulder. His huge dark eyes were warm and amused.

Haku had begun coming pretty regularly to visit the Konoha. He showed no sign of wanting to leave Slum—he just seemed to like the company here. He joked often that trying to find a decent conversation on Slum was like finding a needle in a haystack.

They continued deep in discussion about salt, pepper and oil or no oil, and Sasuke wondered what was wrong with him, alternating puffs from his cigarette with statements on cooking.

It was nice, though, with Ino and Tenten giggling in the background and Kiba and Shino making out, Shikamaru's calm expression unwavering to his right. And Haku and Naruto, golden and white, dark-haired and blonde, both beautiful in totally different ways, grinning at each other and joking about cucumber slices--

And a suit waiting for him every morning, warm and strong around him, silver hair soft on his face and hands supporting and demanding on his hips...

Really, Sasuke was happy.

°

Naruto stirred the soup and checked the light on the rice cooker.

Gaara should be home soon; he'd kept his current job for a pretty long time now, almost two months, and he usually came home at around eight. The clock on the oven said seven-fifty.

Naruto sighed and rolled his shoulders, one hand coming up under his T-shirt to slide over the ridges of his scar. He traced the old Eastern symbols with a slight smile, and then stirred the soup again. The earring ached in his earlobe—the weather made it do weird things.

He switched off the oven and put a lid onto the soup pot before collapsing into one of the kitchen chairs.

For the first week or so of working for Anko, Naruto had gotten home well and truly exhausted each evening—somehow, the whole 'real work' thing had been pretty shocking to him. Not that he hadn't cleaned a lot back when he'd lived with his father, but that had been different, somehow. And besides—he'd had a break of three years in between this and the last real cleaning he'd done.

He looked up when the front door clicked open, then shut again. By now, he was used to picking out the sounds of Gaara's entrance into the apartment.

He got up and leaned out the doorway, grinning. "Hey, Gaara."

The redhead's eyes flicked towards him, and warmed briefly before concentrating back on taking the thick boots off. Naruto watched him, smiling absently.

Gaara's hair had grown by a few centimeters, and it brushed over his ears now, still that bloody red and still sticking up in a forest of spikes. His skin was still the color of milk, and his narrow green eyes dragged Naruto down with even more force these days.

The redhead finished taking his shoes off, and stepped past Naruto into the kitchen. As he passed him, Naruto smelled concrete and dust and wood. "Gah, you stink." He laughed.

Gaara's lips twitched and he raised one unseen eyebrow. He reached out and kissed Naruto roughly, briefly.

The blonde sighed happily as the redhead broke the kiss, and just stood there for a few seconds. Then he jumped and said, "Right. Dinner."

Gaara chuckled softly and fell into a chair, his eyes heavy on Naruto's back as he spooned rice into bowls and soup into others.

He set the food down on the table and sat down across from Gaara, eating quickly and talking nonstop between swallows. "Haku and Zabuza are fighting a bit again. Not anything serious. But Haku had a bruise today, so... How're Kankuro and Ukon, by the way?"

Gaara finished a bite of rice and nodded slightly.

"Oh, good."

"So... did you have a nice day?"

Gaara almost shrugged, and Naruto laughed. He'd gotten used to very one-sided conversations at home. Not that he minded; more talking for him, after all. Even if Gaara talking _was _beyond sexy...

Oh well.

"Well, my day was pretty good, Anko seems to have fired her last model, err... I think her name was... Kurenai... she said a new one was coming over tonight, I'll probably see her tomorrow... The guys were stoned as fuck, as usual. I wonder what it's like to live in one of those things, though? I mean they take turns cooking for each other, and they have communal parties... must be kinda cool, actually."

Gaara had finished eating, and was watching him with a gleam of amusement in his oh-so-green eyes.

Naruto stopped talking and collected their plates. He grinned at Gaara over his shoulder. "You know, if you talked more, I wouldn't be blabbering so much."

Gaara almost smiled and stood, leaning down to suck at the sensitive spot on Naruto's collarbone. His teeth bit down hard the next second, and Naruto gasped sharply. Gaara reached down to hold his hips tightly, and maneuvered him out the door and through the corridor and into the bedroom.

Naruto laughed a little as he tumbled onto the futon, and then Gaara was over him and the knife was carving delicious fire into his skin.

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Homg...°has just realized she's actually writing ANOTHER one...° well, that's the start. Sappy and all, I know. DRAMA will WHOOOOSH in the next chap.

No, honestly.

Why're you laughing?! °whine°

Please review!!!!


	2. Chapter 2

Hey allz...Okay, from now on, I want as many people to mention **BAMBI **and **Arie Date** in their reviews as possible... because those two have like given me the whole plot...which is AWESOME which means I can't write myself into a hole, as I tend to do... so BOW DOWN TO THEM, dammit!!! NOW!

Randomness: Visions of Atlantis, 'Lost'.

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Dusk Boulevard

Naruto awoke slowly, lying still on the futon for a while before getting up. Gaara was still asleep, the sharp lines of his features slightly relaxed in slumber and his hair mussed.

The redhead usually went to bed at around eleven, the same time as Naruto, but he'd get up at about one and just sit on the couch until sunrise began. Afterwards he'd return to bed for a last hour of rest. It was a weird rhythm, but whenever Naruto could he joined Gaara for at least a little while in those long silences on the couch.

The blonde slipped on one of Gaara's sweaters, snorting a little at the way the warm fabric went to his thighs and covered his hands. He moved towards the open bedroom windows and closed them quietly. The tatami was cool beneath his feet, and outside it was almost completely light, the sky a sort of smudged grayish blue.

Naruto liked the silence in the apartment in the mornings. Once he'd start making breakfast, he always switched on the radio, but the warm, woolen quiet that lay over the small place in the early morning was also very comfortable and...homey.

Naruto went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, ran his fingers through his hair, and then he moved into the kitchen and closed the door behind him—it made no sense to wake Gaara up, he got little enough sleep as is—before switching on a modtechno station and getting out the leftover soup from the night before. He warmed it up on the oven, and leaned over the counter, waiting, one foot rubbing at the back of his other knee, trying to find an elusive itch.

He dropped some dried fish into the soup and made tea.

The kitchen was clean and bright, the white countertop and black-lined cupboards gleaming in the weak light, and the tiles chilling his feet. His fox-keychain lay thrown on the table, on top of an old City magazine. A bottle of vodka and two of red wine stood at the back of the kitchen table.

Naruto yawned a little and took the soup off the stove, ladling it into bowls and bringing them into the bedroom. He brought the teapot and mugs next.

Gaara was sitting up by the time Naruto returned with the tea, eating the soup quickly. Naruto poured them both tea and then sat down cross-legged next to the silent redhead, starting to eat as well.

"Are you leaving early today?" he asked.

Gaara set down his empty bowl and nodded slightly, getting up and heading for the bathroom. Naruto shrugged and stretched luxuriously, collecting the dishes and taking Gaara's abandoned mug into the bathroom.

The redhead was half-undressed already, and he almost-smiled at Naruto as the blonde plunked the mug down next to the sink and said, "Don't waste it!"

Naruto did the dishes and got dressed while Gaara showered, and began collecting dirty laundry and such. When Gaara came out of the bathroom he barely took the time to throw on a fresh T-shirt and sweater before shrugging into his jacket and sliding on his boots.

Gaara's boss had this weird rule that every worker had to come an hour early to help with set up at least once a week. If you did it more than once, you automatically got more money. Gaara, being a non-sleeper, took advantage of the possibility pretty often.

Naruto stepped out into the corridor from the bedroom and said, "See you tonight?"

Gaara's eyes flicked to his and he was drowning in green depths, a slight nod, and then the redhead had slammed the door behind him.

Naruto shook his head to dispel his haze and finished packing the dirty laundry into a cloth bag. He threw it over his shoulder and made his way down the stairwell to the basement. A few of the young family fathers who worked suit jobs raced down past him as he moved through the cool blue-lit stairwell, and from behind some doors he could hear early-waking children laughing at their cartoons on virtvision.

He reached the basement, where five wash machines and dryers stood stacked atop each other, and dumped the laundry in by color, poured detergent, slipped in the minicel necessary, and started the cycles. He left the bag there and made his way back upstairs, out of breath by the time he reached the landing to their apartment.

He finished cleaning up the mess in the bedroom—somehow, though neither of them had many clothes, they _always_ ended up all over the floor—and took a shower. Then he went back downstairs and threw the now-wet laundry in the dryers.

After that all he had to do was wait for them to be finished, and once they were he unceremoniously dropped the bag full of clothes in the entrance area, tugged on his jacket, and left.

It was much nicer weather now, the wind really nonexistent for once. Naruto walked to the bus stop, crossing over the ragged lawn and leaning back in the bus station hut to look up at the towering family block.

Damn but he'd hate to live at the top.

The street was pretty deserted up here on the outskirts; the farther one got in towards the center, the wider it got, until it finally ended at Suit Square. All major government buildings were on it, and the running gag that the State had made of legitimacy had earned the street the name Dusk Boulevard—originally it was called Duske, after some State hero.

Naruto managed to get on the next bus that came screeching up with his tattered bus pass, and stayed on for quite a few stations as the bus slowly filled with people, kids on their way to school, businessmen to work... even a few whores on their way home from wherever their curbs and corners were. Naruto watched them in slight curiosity, and his eyes narrowed at the way the housewives beside him whispered and pointed.

He got off at Suit Square, and made his way toward the massive underground mall he hated so much. It was annoying and gave him headaches down there, but it was the closest big shopping center, so he just took what he got. Getting into the elevator that led down from above the virtcinema, he squeezed himself in with a crowd of housewives here to do the same thing he was, and managed to come on alive on the other end of the trip.

The mall was brightly lit, and though not many stores were open yet, there were already gaggles of people hurrying around and collecting shopping bags over their elbows.

Naruto shook his head in irritation. Really, what was so fascinating about shopping?

He went to the grocery store nearest to the elevator and began ticking off what he needed in his mind.

Rice, vegetables, bread, beans, tuna...

Fuck. He really was a housewife. He laughed a little, earning him weird looks from the women around him, and dropped a few cans of tuna into his plastic basket.

°

Life was so dead and dull these days.

Everything was gray, the sky, the buildings, the people...

He stood at the window of his office and stared down over the square. No life, no vibrancy anymore. No bright laughter and kindness.

How long had it been now?

Two years, five years, ten years?

It felt like eternity. Like Hell.

He knew the building he was in was as gray as everything, that _he _was as gray as everyone else, but what made that knowledge worse was that he knew, too, that there'd been a time when he'd been alive.

He sighed, a defeated explosion of breath, and went close enough to the glass to rest his forehead against it. The glass of brandy in his hand clinked as the ice cubes moved.

His eyes scanned the square, the utterly useless and hopelessly dull masses of people. Stupid livestock, following everything told to them, just shuffling along dimwittedly, moving towards the inevitable specter of death.

A bus, as gray as everything else, pulled up, and more gray crowded out. Like rabbits, like sheep, like pigs—crowding and struggling and pushing to be out first, out of the cage, but weren't they just going out into another, even tighter one? The cage of illusion?

His lips twitched. That sounded like something his lover would say.

Would have said.

His lips thinned and he stepped back a little from the window, finishing the brandy in one gulp, grimly enjoying the burn as it slid through his throat. It was the only thing he could feel anymore—the burn of alcohol.

He dropped the glass on the black marble floor and it shattered. None of his servants would come to pick it up before he was out of the room—they were too afraid of him.

He liked it that way.

He glared back down at the square, wanting to do... _something_, scream, yell, _anything_, but he couldn't find enough energy or emotion to do it.

His eyes flicked away again and he moved to his desk, picking up his newest plans. The State had commissioned it, and there would be a lot of money involved.

Not that he needed money...

Something flashed in one corner of his eyes and he spun around, almost running to the window. He stared desperately down at the square, eyes scanning the gray, gray crowds for the bright flash of color he'd just seen.

He found it, and stumbled away from the window.

The boy was gold, gold among gray, and his bright bright hair was mussed and wild.

The man leaned forward. Those eyes, that mouth...

It was him. It _had _to be.

So he wasn't dead.

No, he was alive, his golden golden love.

The man groaned under his breath and looked for his love again, but he had disappeared.

The man smiled breathlessly and didn't even bother with a glass for the brandy this time, drinking straight out of the bottle. He settled back against the desk and murmured, "No worries, love... I'll wait."

°

Sasuke bit back a whimper as Kabuto fucked him much too hard into the couch. The man was panting heavily, and his hands were vice grips on Sasuke's shoulders as he pressed them down to keep the teen still.

Sasuke moaned a little in pain as the man finally, finally came, and collapsed, shuddering, onto the upholstery.

Kabuto rolled off of him and sat up, glaring at the floor tensely.

Sasuke groaned under his breath. He had the faint suspicion he was bleeding. He pulled his legs to his chest, found a cigarette in his discarded coat, lit it. He took a deep, calming puff, then snarled sharply, "What the fuck was _that?_ You nearly fucking tore me in half."

Kabuto muttered, "Sorry." The muscles in his bare back were tensing and relaxing sharply and quickly, and it looked painful. His glasses were gleaming in the light from the window, the wide living room sprawled out clean and golden.

Sasuke flicked ash off his cigarette and watched Kabuto. The man was tense, probably tenser than Sasuke had ever seen him. His eyes were gray-green stones, and his jaw was clenched taut.

He was... angry.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked.

Kabuto shook his head.

Sasuke stood and took another drag, moving over to the man. He knelt in front of him and muttered, "What's going on? You're pissed."

Kabuto shook his head again and his voice was rough as he whispered, "Calm me down. Please."

Sasuke felt his eyes widen, and he wondered what the hell had happened to make Kabuto say 'please'. "How?"

Kabuto pulled him to his feet and onto his lap, and his arms wrapped around the teen's belly, holding him tightly close. He buried his face in the soft, black hair, and then he pulled Sasuke to lie lengthwise on the couch with him, whispering, "Sorry I hurt you."

"Stop apologizing," Sasuke muttered irritably, but he turned around in Kabuto's arms and said, eyes black with worry, "Tell me what's wrong. You're...acting weird."

Kabuto took a deep breath, and then let it out, feathering over Sasuke's ear.

"Tayuya... wants to take the kids away."

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MUHAHAHA CLIFFIE!!!!!

okay, now review.


	3. Chapter 3

You know, I like making reviewers happy... but ... putting up lots of chapters somehow makes me get LESS feedback... it's weird.

Also, I have skipped...err, eight school days now, in the last three weeks. Cuz my mom's not home...makes it easy for me to say, 'urgh, not going today...'

I dunno, I feel kinda bad about it one hand, but on the other...HAHAHA NARU-CHAN PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!

--And the drunk rich stalker-dood is most definitely NOT Itachi. No worries. Itachi sex personified. I would never have him killed.

...not even by Gaara.

Randomness: Korpiklaani, 'Kirki'

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Dusk Boulevard

Sasuke watched Kabuto drink his tea slowly, green-gray eyes distant.

The man had just finished telling him about the beyond elite lawyers Tayuya had gotten somehow—she shouldn't have enough money for those guys, even Sasuke knew one of their names—to wage a custody battle for Aki and Tsume.

Sasuke shook his head and leaned back into the couch, muttering, "It makes no sense."

Kabuto chuckled bitterly. "I know."

Sasuke looked away and smoked slowly. Why was that bitch doing this? "Why now?"

Kabuto glanced up and his eyes held Sasuke's, and he said, "If only I knew."

Why now? After more than three months of perfect peace and...happiness?

_Why?_

The man murmured, "Normally I wouldn't worry. There's no one who would ever vouch for her mothering skills. But with these lawyers..."

Sasuke nodded slightly.

Kabuto sat back and said softly, "She _never_ wanted them. I just don't..."

"...understand." Sasuke said slowly.

Tsume and Aki? With that _bitch_? He couldn't even imagine an afternoon without Aki's eyes heavy and happy on him as he moved around with Tsume either nestled on his hip or latched onto his leg, Kabuto's gaze amused and pleased watching them...

He snarled inwardly and stabbed his cigarette out viciously in the ashtray that stood on the floor.

Fuck.

He said softly, angrily, "What now?"

Kabuto shrugged helplessly, tense. "We—I'll just have to wait for the court order and then--"

They both jumped as the phone rang loudly. Kabuto reached over to the table next to the couch and picked it up, pressing the 'answer' button and holding it to his ear. "Yes?"

Sasuke watched, cigarette forgotten, as the man's eyes narrowed and grew cold. He was silent, and after a few moments he said icily, "Oh really?"

More silence.

Kabuto was trembling slightly by now, and his eyes were almost glowing with rage. He got up sharply and began pacing back and forth, hissing into the phone, "Why are you _doing _this?"

Sasuke lit another cigarette, almost dropping his lighter in the process. He turned to stare out the window, trying his best to ignore Kabuto's angry remarks in the background.

He really, really didn't want to know what she was planning now.

_Dammit._

Why—_how_ could she destroy things so easily? So—_quickly_?

He took a vicious drag of his cigarette and glared harder out at the light gray sky.

Kabuto hissed behind him, "_Damn you,_" and then the phone was slamming back into the loading station and Kabuto's fist was knocking over the lamp behind the small table.

Sasuke jumped and asked softly, "Tayuya?"

Kabuto snarled. "No. Santa Claus."

Sasuke winced and looked away.

Kabuto cursed loudly and said, "Sorry."

The teen nodded and smoked. "It's...okay."

There was silence, and then Sasuke asked, dreading the answer, "What did she... what did she want?"

Kabuto just laughed bitterly and his eyes were so hard and cold that they scared the teen.

"She wants to take you too," and he smirked so icily and frighteningly that a shiver ran down Sasuke's spine. He'd never seen Kabuto this angry before.

He smoked nervously.

Kabuto stood frozen in the pale light, hair gleaming and glasses flashing, his whole lean body tense and stiff. One hand was rubbing viciously at the back of his neck, and the other was shoved into his pocket. His mouth was caught in a bitter smile.

Sasuke watched the way the weak light caressed the man's skin, then he said slowly, carefully, "What do you mean?"

Kabuto snarled again and said, his voice still so shockingly emotionless, "I mean that if I don't give the kids up peacefully, I'll be charged with statutory rape. Just because you've turned sixteen doesn't make it legal, you know."

It took a few seconds for it to click in Sasuke's mind, and then he stood up so quickly he almost stumbled. "_What? _You mean she's—she's _blackmailing _you?"

"If I don't give up the children, she'll let it casually drop to the right ears that I'm fucking a teenager. Yes."

Sasuke flinched inwardly at the cold way the man said, 'fucking a teenager'. It hurt. Just a little.

Okay, it hurt a _lot_.

He looked out the window and dropped his cigarette in the ashtray, watching the coals fade slowly. The smoke curled up lazily and then dissipated.

He knew for a fact that his eyes were utterly black at the moment. And so he hid them from Kabuto.

If Kabuto wanted his kids, and a risk-free trial, it would make sense to drop Sasuke.

It would make a lot of sense.

"So... what are you going to do?" he murmured, dreading what the man would say.

The answering silence hurt worse than anything Sasuke had ever experienced.

°

He was breathing hard, his eyes caught on that shock of gold.

The brandy slid fiery down his throat, but for the first time in years he was feeling something else as well.

It seemed like an eternity since he had been this aroused.

Just seeing the way his love walked, the way the slim hips swayed, the bright absent smile..

He gasped harshly as the boy stumbled under the wight of the bags he carried, and he wanted to know what his love was shopping for... he shouldn't be shopping. He should be lying in his bed and waiting for him.

He groaned softly as the boy tossed his head to get a few strands of hair out of his eyes, and his body thrummed with lust.

He needed to get him soon.

And then it would be all fine again.

He would even restrain his anger that his love had hidden from him. Why did he let him think he was dead? Why?

This time it would be perfect.

There was no longer any risk; he had perfected the dosages, had made sure it was safe. Well.. safer.

But his love was strong. There was no chance of him dying now.

Wait—he hadn't died, obviously, so it was doubly safe. If he had survived that fatal mistake—_nearly _fatal mistake—then this new, improved substance held no danger at all.

He smiled and then the expression faltered as his love got into a bus and disappeared from view. He moved along the length of his window until the bus was out of sight, and then he slumped back against his desk and gulped down brandy.

Soon! Soon he would have his love, and everything would be perfect once more.

°

Sasuke came late to the Konoha, and Naruto and Haku were already there, talking about a small-time thug who'd been caught on Slum.

Naruto noticed that something was wrong immediately, in the way that Sasuke settled into his usual seat on the mattress with a sort of defeated sadness. "Bastard?"

Haku's eyes were dark and worried, and he flicked his cigarette away with a graceful movement of his wrist, saying, "Are you all right?"

Sasuke stayed silent, smoking and staring distantly at the blinking signs in the Konoha's window.

Ino asked carefully, "Sasuke?", and Tenten murmured, "Did something happen with Kabuto?"

Sasuke flinched the slightest bit at the mention of the man's name, and Haku sighed sadly. "Oh no. What happened?"

Shino, of all people, looked up from his bugs and said, "Did he leave you?"

Sasuke froze, then laughed a little, bitterly and angrily. "Basically."

Naruto said angrily, "Really? He dumped you? How dare he! Where does he live? I'm gonna--"

Haku murmured, "But...he seemed so attached to you."

"Yeah," Kiba agreed. His arm was around Shino, their blanket a soft blue in the darkening light.

Sasuke shrugged slightly. "His ex-wife is making him choose between me and the kids."

"WHAT?" everyone—except for Shikamaru, who was somewhere else in his mind—yelled.

The pale, dark-haired teen nodded slightly, and explained in short, terse sentences.

There was silence, until Haku said icily, "How _dare_ she?"

Naruto nodded a vigorous agreement, and Kiba growled angrily.

Sasuke shrugged again and said tiredly, "Is there something to drink?"

Ino wordlessly handed him a half-full bottle of vodka. He took a sip and handed it back, then ground out his cigarette.

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Any good?

Just so you know, Kabuto hasn't said ANYTHING definite. It's just Sasu's overactive imagination at work.

Please read and review!!!


	4. Chapter 4

Hey all!!!

Much love and stuff, and keep those reviews coming!!!

Randomness: Battlelore, 'Cloaked In Her Unlight'

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Dusk Boulevard

The code swam before his eyes, and it was hard to focus on the small black print in the pale light from the kitchen window.

There had to be a glitch in here somewhere, but Kabuto really didn't feel like looking for it anymore. As a matter of fact, he felt more like curling up on the couch and waking up next to Sasuke and feeling as though nothing was at risk and there was no time bomb hanging over their heads each time they kissed.

He stared at the warm tones of his kitchen, thinking back to the many times he'd seen Sasuke at the stove, Tsume on his hip and Aki at his feet.

Kabuto groaned inwardly at himself. He was sounding as though he'd already lost them. Which couldn't be further from the truth; Tsume and Aki were perfectly fine, still over at Chouji's for cookies and a virtvid. Sasuke...

Well, it was true that something wasn't right with Sasuke.

In the whole week since Tayuya's phone call and Kabuto's rage, the teen had been acting strangely. He'd become much more distant and cool, and not once had Kabuto found even a hint of red in his midnight orbs. It was worrying and Kabuto wanted to ask, but the first meeting after the day of the phone call had been strained and whenever Kabuto had asked Sasuke what was wrong the teen had pointedly ignored him. It had continued like that every time, until Kabuto gave up and hoped it would just pass.

A little chill ran down deep inside him as he remembered just how angry he had been. Getting Kabuto truly riled up was an almost inhuman feat, and what Tayuya had managed had been only the tip of the iceberg. But it had been bad enough.

He snarled a little as he remembered the pained look on Sasuke's face after he'd snapped at him, and the _flinch_. That had hurt more than he wanted to admit.

And Sasuke's distance was also worrisome because it destroyed any calm Kabuto had around Sasuke. If before he'd been able to understand the teen easily, now it was hard to even get a twitch out of him, and it... just... was uncomfortable. Hell, Tayuya was attacking _them _as a unit and not Kabuto alone, with her scheming. And if Sasuke didn't want to...

Didn't want to _what?_

Once again Kabuto cursed Tayuya for bringing him out of the comfortable casual way Sasuke and he had been ignoring the emotions that were intrinsic to their... thing. Their relationship.

He looked up when the front door slammed, and immediately pushed the pages of code to one side.

He heard Sasuke take off his shoes and the scuff of his socked feet on the tatami, and then the teen was in the kitchen, greeting Kabuto with a short sharp nod that said more than enough.

He was still in his strange mood.

Kabuto sighed inwardly and said, "Hey," managing a smile.

Sasuke hn-ed and sat down across from him. He smelled of alcohol and the dark smoky tang of coffee, as well as the ever-present cigarette smoke.

As always, as Kabuto had grown used to in the past week, the kid made the first move within moments of grinding his cigarette out in the ashtray. Hot lips descended on his own and Sasuke straddled his lap with a kind of angry desperation, grinding his hips down.

Kabuto nearly stopped the boy, as always, but then, as always, Sasuke's eyes drilled into his, and as always they glanced away with a deep sadness that Kabuto didn't understand and wanted to kill. And so he let Sasuke fumble with their clothes and he let Sasuke fuck himself on his cock and he groaned into white heaving skin when his climax crashed over him and he hoped that the red would reappear in lightless black as Sasuke gasped a little and rode out his own orgasm.

But the boy dressed and moved away too fast and too jerkily and Kabuto didn't need to see his eyes to know nothing had really changed.

°

Chouji shifted uncomfortably in his seat and Kabuto tried not to wince in sympathy. The tension in the air was thick enough to be cut with a knife.

Tsume was oblivious to it, slurping down her soup without a care in the world, but Aki was looking back and forth between Sasuke and Kabuto with a worried expression on his face.

Just like every time this week.

Sasuke wasn't eating, smoking absently. His eyes were dark pools, and by the way that the pale fingers trembled a little each time the teen moved, Kabuto knew that he was just as uncomfortable as the two other men.

The teen looked beautiful in the gray light, eyes swallowing all light and not reflecting any back, his cig moving gracefully back and forth between pale soft lips and ash tray.

Kabuto watched him, tilting his head a little. The kid's eyes flashed to his and something like anger and sadness showed in their depths.

Sasuke looked away.

Trust Tayuya to know his weaknesses too well, to know where to hit him so it hurt worst. Trust her to know how much he loved Sasuke because of what he' let him do —meet the kids, talk to them, cook for them... sleep in his bed.

Kabuto watched as Tsume waved for Sasuke to bend close to her, and the teen obliged. The girl whispered something animatedly, and Sasuke smiled a little and began transferring her pieces of fish cake from her bowl to his own.

Tsume smiled brightly and looked from Sasuke to Kabuto, and asked, "Sasu's going to be here forever, right, Daddy?"

Sasuke froze and Kabuto watched him, heart sinking, as he hurriedly put out his cigarette and stared at the floor.

That reaction really, _really _hurt.

Kabuto realized Tsume was still waiting for his answer, and he forced a reassuring smile before standing up, under the pretext of putting his bowl in the sink. He saw Sasuke's eyes darken further and rage boiled through him.

Damn that Tayuya.

°

His pretty love was waiting for the bus, as he had on every day of this long torturous week that the man had observed him. He was wearing his usual thick jacket with scruffy jeans and two grocery bags hung from his slim wrists. His hair glowed in the weak light and his bright, bright eyes were deep seas of happiness and the man needed him, _now_.

He was his love, after all. Always had been.

He stepped a little closer, then a little more, and then bright eyes had turned to look at him and lips had quirked into a slight smile of amusement. "Sorry, man, but could you give me some room?"

The man froze as the voice and the scars on those tawny cheeks froze in his mind.

Was this really his love?

He brushed the thought away. Of course it was. No one else could be this brightly golden and alive. _No one_.

He said slowly, "No. You're a pretty one, love. Wouldn't you like a coffee or something nice to drink?" His love didn't seem to recognize him, so... he'd play it safe.

The boy's eyes cooled abruptly and his upper lip curled slightly. He moved away from the man, stepped to the side and shifted so his back was to him. "No thanks," came the cold response.

The man stood frozen.

His love... was _ignoring _him.

Another long-lost emotion returned to his veins as he watched the way the slim hips shifted with the weight of the shopping bags and the golden hair tossed in the wind. He'd refused him. And ignored him.

His blood rose hot inside him as rage coursed through his veins. "How... _dare_ you?" he hissed under his breath.

_He _had saved his love from the horrors of his orphanage, _he_ had given him a home, _he _had given him love, _he _had made begun to make him perfect when the materials were there, had created that last process that would have had his love as the embodiment of perfection... and here the boy first let him think he was dead, and _then _ignored him.

The man snarled softly and watched as the boy stepped forward to get on the bus that had just arrived. Everyone was crowding onto it, and no one noticed the white wad of cloth the man drew out of his pocket, nor did anyone notice the struggling blond.

His love fell limp, skin smooth and tawny and rising and falling slowly. The eyes fell closed, and the slim light form fit perfectly into the man's arms.

The groceries fell forgotten, and brightly packaged food spilled over the concrete.

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ZOMG! This one took ages.

Sorry that the chaps are kinda short.

I promise to try to get them longer.

So, anyway...

REVIEW!!!

And I hope its now made clear that EVERYONE's guesses about the stalker are wrong. Since Naruto didn't recognize him...!!!

Till next time!!!!!!!!


	5. Chapter 5

Hello!

Hope to get this one up soon.

Randomness: Oomph feat. L'ame Immortelle, 'Eiszeit'

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Dusk Boulevard

Ukon sighed happily. The bathroom was warm and steaming with the heat of the water in the bathtub, and the mirror was totally clouded up by steam.

Kankuro settled a bit more comfortably into the water-warmed side of the bathtub, and Ukon leaned back against him, skin wet and warm and creamy in the overhead light. His silver hair was still sudsy at the crown of his head, and his piercings lay all around the edge of the bathtub, metal rings and snakes and spiders and safety pins scattered over the light blue ceramic.

Ukon grinned a little and said in that husky rasp of a voice he used whenever he was aroused, "You know, I really like your job."

Kankuro groaned. "Well, you're on your own there," he muttered. His current occupation was with a moving company, and Kankuro as a rule always ended up carrying the heaviest antique couches and dislocating his arm by being left to carry armchairs by himself. It sucked.

Ukon grinned and murmured, "But come _on_. I mean..." and one slim white hand lazily followed the curve of Kankuro's bicep.

Kankuro smiled hungrily and pulled Ukon close, kissing him and finding his hips to pull him closer against him. Ukon giggled hoarsely and sat up further to let Kankuro start to prepare him. His cheeks were slightly flushed and he was panting.

Ukon leaned into him as he slid a finger inside him, and his breath was hot and fast on Kankuro's neck. "Ah...oh god, Kankuro, you don't need to be so careful, just fuck me!"

Kankuro laughed huskily and muttered, "I'll take that offer."

He slowly lifted Ukon up and pulled his finger out of the man, then positioned the slim white hips just right in the warm water. Ukon whispered, "Hurry up," and Kankuro slowly, slowly began pushing him down on himself--

And then the phone rang.

They both jumped a little, and Ukon muttered, "Leave it, I want you to fuck me now."

Kankuro groaned in annoyance, one hand still supporting Ukon's hips, then he reached over with his free hand and found the phone on the puddle-dotted tiles. "I can't ignore it, you know I--" he groaned a little as Ukon shifted around him "--get my contracts over the phone... ah shit, quit that..."

Ukon pouted and got off of him, sitting back down in the tub.

Kankuro pressed the 'answer' button and said, "Hello?"

"Naruto."

It took long seconds for Kankuro to realize that the cold voice on the other end of the line was most definitely _not _the bouncy and loud blonde. "Gaara? What's going on?"

Between his legs, Ukon had a mischievous gleam in his eye, and Kankuro wanted to get the call over with. Quickly.

"...Naruto's gone."

Kankuro bit back a gasp as hot lips opened around his cock, and Ukon's head sank slowly under the water. "Wait—uh--what? Have you checked Whore Street?"

"He's not there."

"So you've...guh... so you've checked?"

"..."

"You haven't checked."

"_He's not there_." Gaara stated icily.

Kankuro held back a groan and pushed at Ukon frantically. The other man moved back from him and giggled evilly, but then he noticed Kankuro's expression and he sobered immediately.

Kankuro muttered, hearing Gaara's slow breathing over the phone line-- "Naruto's gone."

°

Naruto awoke slowly and knew something wasn't right. But as if there was thick transparent wool between him and his surroundings, he couldn't react, just register. He winced when too-bright light stung his eyes, and his body awoke with his mind, but his limbs wouldn't move with his emotions.

It was a high round room, and from behind Naruto the pale light of outside shone. So there were the windows. It was all streamlined and white and clean, and Naruto seemed to be in the lowest part of the room, where a round depression was. Steps led down to it from the higher floor.

Long tables covered with papers and racks of small glass tubes and occasionally beakers of unidentifiable substances in all shades of the rainbow stood against the tall gleaming pale walls, and the floors were white linoleum. There was nothing personal or warm about the whole place, and even in Naruto's strange, detached state he felt a sinking dread somewhere inside.

In the round lower-set space he was in stood another table with another rack of small glass tubes. A gleaming metal sink had been set into the table, and Naruto's eyes followed the pipes that ran from it down into the white floor before he could force himself to focus again. The tubes were filled with a noxious-looking yellow fluid and one of the them was missing.

He started, or he wanted to, when a man moved into his field of vision, holding an empty tube—probably the missing one—and began to wash it in the sink one-handed. His other hand held an empty, transparent syringe, and as Naruto watched him and that damned syringe a sharp sting started in his left elbow, a kind of dull ache radiating out from the skin. He glanced down slowly, his body still frighteningly reluctant to move, and finally, _finally_ his feelings began to work.

OH FUCK.

He was strapped in a chair. A cold white, padded chair. One of the chairs everyone knew off the emergency room shows on virtvision. There were tight wide cold bands pinning his arms to the armrests.

At least he was still dressed.

The last thing he remembered was standing on Suit Square, and being annoyed... had the bus been late?

He stiffened as it came flooding back, and his eyes snapped to the man at the sink.

He was tall, and Naruto knew his eyes were an icy insane yellow. His hair was short-cropped and silver, and his skin a bronze sort of color. He was all sharp angles and edges, sort of like Gaara, and his movements had the same dangerous, smooth quality.

Naruto tried to struggle, but his body was utterly exhausted and he wondered what had been on the cloth the man had pushed against his nose. Chloroform?

Probably, he decided, and then the guy was turning around and he couldn't think calmly anymore, because the way he moved was so like Gaara and those eyes were so much like the snake-guys, all slimy and reptilian.

The man smiled slowly and his eyes were insane and all-too-familiar as he raised the empty syringe and said softly and happily, "You always did accept the drugs well, Kyuubi."

So that was it.

_That _was the weird familiar thing in those slimy eyes.

He had mistaken him for somebody.

Somebody dear to him, as it seemed as the man stepped closer and closer and caressed Naruto's arm, fingers lingering over the stinging red area on his elbow. Naruto glanced from the empty syringe to the inflamed skin and then his mind caught on the man's last words, and he wondered in panic what the hell the man had given him.

He tried to scream, tried to do anything, but his lethargic body couldn't do anything right and all that came out of his hoped-for scream was a weak murmur, "...Gaara..."

The man's frightening eyes narrowed and then widened and he hissed, "Who's Gaara? Who is it?" and then just as quickly his face relaxed and he smiled almost dreamily and said, "No matter, love, my Kyuubi. You won't ever have to say anyone's name but mine anymore.. try it... say Shukaku."

Naruto tried not to cry and stayed quiet.

The man smiled wider and murmured, "Oh, of course. The drug's still working. The second reaction should begin soon... I've perfected it, love, there's no possible risk of you getting hurt _this _time."

Naruto wanted to shiver.

He tried to struggle again, but it all had no use and all it did was make him more exhausted. The man continued stroking his arm and his hair and then his weird eyes glanced to one side and he smiled, "There, the second reaction should be coming now, Kyuubi."

Naruto wondered whether he wanted to know what he was talking about and was about to try to yell something outraged when it hit.

He wasn't too sure what 'it' was, just that it didn't seem good.

The second stab of 'it' made it fully clear.

"Oh my _god_," he heard himself gasp, and he could have fucked one of those test tubes for all he cared about what it was that went in him as long as it was _something_.

The feeling faded away more slowly this time, and then it came back with more force. And this time it stayed and Naruto whimpered.

The man—Shukaku?-- smiled his insane smile and said, "Ah, so it's hit." He moved to lean over Naruto, legs leaning against the chair between the blonde's thighs.

He shifted and kissed him, and Naruto moaned softly. The man panted softly into his hair and said, "Yes, that's it, Kyuubi... scream for me."

And then he was fucking him and Naruto wanted to die but at the same time he couldn't help but arch and beg and gasp.

It was horrible.

Afterwards the drug really was gone and out of his system and he could cry, and the man got off of him and wiped the tears away and murmured, "It's all right, Kyuu...we're together now."

And Naruto wanted to scream and hide and kill the man and die, all at the same time.

°

Sasuke scattered a few chips onto the counter and the tired cashier girl gave him his change with a grim and forced smile. He nodded briefly, collected the cool glass bottle, and stuffed one into his pocket and opened the other one on his way out of the glaring yellow light of the dingy little shop.

It was still the same not cold, not warm but also not pleasant weather, and the cars on Dusk Boulevard were standing still in a traffic jam. Sasuke walked away from Suit Square and towards Whore, alternating gulps from the gin bottle with deep drags of his cigarette. It was almost time for sunset.

He felt the whole world take one step back and everything become a bit too sharp in his vision, and the contours of everything waver, and smiled coldly.

He wanted this dull numbness, this half-drunk state.

It made all this _shit _more bearable.

Kabuto was being very nice, but Sasuke had no hope that it would last much longer. Tayuya would start the trial, and Sasuke would be dropped like a hot coal.

And the worst thing was that he couldn't even feel mad about it. For one, he could totally understand Kabuto's choosing his kids. It was a relationship and a bond that was just way above theirs. And besides... he really did love Kbauto. He doubted he'd ever be able to truly be angry with him.

No, he was more...

More...

Heartbroken could be the word. But it was pretty sappy, and so he settled for sad.

Slightly sad.

He turned onto Whore and drank more gin.

The ramend shop had a little queue in front of it, and the transvestites were laughing loudly in their mess of bright clothes. The Lolitas and the S&M people were exchanging clothes.

The cold-looking concrete and the wide empty street made Sauske feel small. He walked close to the house walls and drank fast and a lot. His cigarettes burned down quickly.

He reached the Konoha and it took him until after a whole minute devoid of any chirped greeting from Ino to realize something was wrong. He looked up from the ground, shifting nervously on his mattress.

Shikamaru was gone off somewhere. Ino and Tenten were huddled in silence and their eyes avoided his. Kiba and Shino did the same, and Kakashi concentrated too hard on his book.

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked slowly.

There was silence. They glanced at each other, as if begging the others to speak first.

As a result, everyone spoke at the same time.

"Naruto--"

"Something's happened--"

"Gone--"

"Naruto's disappeared--"

"No one knows where--"

"Naruto's gone."

Sasuke stared around at them. He had to laugh a little inwardly, angrily.

Now it was official.

He was utterly hated by someone up there.

He sighed and drank a deep gulp of his gin, then lit a new cigarette and muttered, "Fuck."

Worry and stress and hurt gathered in a hot knot in his stomach, and he felt as if he were going to throw up.

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Omg...4 REVIEWS FOR THE LAST CHAPTER?!

Come ON!

That is beyond pathetic.

SO COME ON, get ON WITH IT. REVIEW!!!

And? Did ANYONE have the right stalker anywhere close to five miles of their mind?


	6. Chapter 6

Hey allz. Stalker much?

Randomness: Groove Coverage, "The Last Unicorn"

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Dusk Boulevard

Naruto tried to twist and struggle against his bonds before the horrible aching lust came, but that damn lethargy was too much and too bad, and the first stab of the second reaction made his arch and moan and then Shukaku was there already, fucking him.

Naruto wanted to die. He really did.

This was the second day here in this white clean hell.

Shukaku was almost always in the room with him, muttering nonsense about this 'Kyuubi' and making him perfect and some stuff about 'golden beauty'...

The damn injections hurt like hell, and Shukaku had fed him _once—_obviously this Kyuubi had been anorexic or something, honestly, one meal in forty-eight hours! The weird yellow stuff, now that Naruto was awake during the injections, actually slithered through his veins like oil—he could _feel_ it.

He still had no idea what it was supposed to do, except maybe make him horny.

He froze as Shukaku turned from washing out the syringe and the tube at the sink. Oh no. He didn't like that expression.

Hadn't he just fucked him?

Why _again?_

Naruto winced as the man ripped off the bands holding him to the chair, and hissed, "Come now, pleasure me, my Kyuubi..."

The blonde wanted to cry, but then something hard was muffling his voice and he knew better than to bite down.

°

Sasuke wondered why he was even here. He could just as well have stayed at the Konoha and worried about Naruto... instead of going here and worrying about Naruto _and _his heart.

The dark warm corridor was silent, and he walked into the kitchen slowly. He saw Kabuto look up from his papers, saw him smile tensely, and he wondered whether today would be the day of the end.

Yesterday had been the second fateful phone call. Kabuto had actually dropped the phone, and then he had looked at Sasuke and then he had given him the time for the courthouse appearance. In a too-calm voice, and with his eyes roiling behind his glasses.

It had been the day before _that_ that Naruto had disappeared.

Sasuke hadn't gone to visit the trial today, unable to work up the courage, and instead he'd come late to Kabuto's, numb from more gin and vodka.

The man sat up and leaned back in his chair, muttering, "Hey."

Sasuke nodded and sat down, murmuring, "How was it?"

Kabuto shrugged. "Rather optimistic actually." Then he frowned a little and he said, "But only as long as Tayuya doesn't follow through with her threat."

Ah, right. This whole thing was all that bitch's fault, after all. Sasuke swallowed and smoked and said, "And if she does?"

Kabuto shrugged, sighed. "We'll just have to wait and see then, I guess."

Sasuke didn't like that answer, but he nodded anyway.

He finished his cigarette, watching the man.

No one would ever say Kabuto was beautiful. He wasn't even handsome; most would look him up and down and dismiss him as 'bland'.

But to Sasuke... Kabuto had something mysterious, and ever since that first fuck in his car with the tired green twigs shaking in the wind outside, where Kabuto's glasses had flashed and even a simple thing like fucking had become something to dissect and understand, Sasuke had known something was down there, hidden. It was like Naruto's mask of happiness, that slipped so rarely but when it did you saw the depths of a person that really shouldn't be sane. Kabuto was exactly the same in a way, holding some things under tight, tight lock and key.

And the way he looked... it was the same. No one was able to recall Kabuto's features within a minute of meeting him. They were so deceptively uninteresting, and only because Sasuke had lain for many long warm hours with him in bed, tracing the very slightly crooked nose and the slightly too far apart eyes and the way one corner of his mouth quirked up a little too much, did he know that they weren't bland.

Kabuto was an enigma; he always acted so calm, but then there had been that frightening rage last week, and sometimes when Sasuke came later and Kabuto had started on his brandy alone, the man would have a strange glazed, icy look in his eyes.

And now it was going to be over.

Sasuke stood, and curled his hand into Kabuto's silver hair, reveling in the silky feeling, straddling strong slim hips, and kissing those soft cool lips hungrily. If it was going to be over soon, he would at least have as much to remember as possible.

Kabuto groaned softly into his collarbone as Sasuke forced himself onto his cock, and then the man panted and growled with him as Sasuke moved his hips.

Afterwards, Sasuke got up quickly and straightened his clothes. Cuddling would just depress him.

Kabuto sat still for long moment, and then he buttoned up his pants and stood up.

Sasuke watched him, wondering what he was doing, and smoking slowly and nervously. The man moved to put water on to boil, and got out tea.

Sasuke started a little. Kabuto was making the tea? Normally Sasuke made it, and then he'd make enough for the kids and Chouji when they came too... he watched Kabuto measure out the tea leaves and something broke inside him.

"So—is it over?" he murmured.

Kabuto looked up from the tea and the cool afternoon light glinted off his glasses. "What do you mean?" He asked.

Sasuke laughed a little under his breath and watched the way his cigarette was burning down slowly, listening to the paper crackle as it melted away.

He heard footsteps as Kabuto moved closer, and then the man was standing in front of him and Sasuke looked up into worried eyes.

"What do you mean?" Kabuto repeated.

Sasuke shook his head and looked away again.

The man reached out and held his chin in a strong grip, forcing him to look at him. "What do you _mean_?" He said softly.

Sasuke chuckled bitterly, not even struggling against the man's superior strength, and he looked him right in the eyes and muttered, "Well, you're going to drop me, aren't you?"

°

Kabuto stared at the kid.

There were a few flashes of red in the deep, dark eyes—anger. Sasuke's pale, pale skin was smooth and bare in the pale afternoon, and his black clothes looked dull and gray-shaded. His cigarette had fallen into the ashtray, and he had draped his arms over the back of the chair, the sleeves sliding up to display his bony white wrists. His lips were twisted in a slight, bitter grin.

"Where'd you get that idea?" Kabuto muttered, almost exasperatedly.

Sasuke's eyes flashed and he twisted out of Kabuto's grip, hissing, "It makes sense!"

The man watched him step back and lean against the doorway and light another cigarette.

Kabuto shook his head. "I don't see how it does. I wouldn't leave you, ever, and _especially_ not now-"

Sasuke laughed and said softly, "All this because of that bitch." His eyes flashed up and then he said, "Of course it makes sense. Tayuya has nothing to blackmail you with if-"

It all clicked, and Kabuto couldn't keep down a gasp. "You think I'd just—dump you... because of _Tayuya'_s little mind games?"

Sasuke glanced away, then up again, and muttered, "The tea'll be ruined if you leave it in longer."

Kabuto snapped his hand in a dismissive motion and hissed, "Who cares about the tea? I want to know why the _hell _you think I'd do something like that."

"Why _not_? My parents would have done it for Itachi." Sasuke's eyes were desperate.

The man stepped towards him, ignoring the slight flinch that shuddered through the kid. "I'm not your parents! And besides, don't you _see_? Dropping you would just make Tayuya feel better about herself! It's like... admitting defeat! And—and, fuck, Sasuke, I _love_ you! Why the hell don't you just—have some confidence in that?"

Sasuke shrugged and then he was sliding down to the floor and his eyes were the deepest black and his shoulders were shaking beneath his shirt, and Kabuto wondered what kind of family would force a child to be so goddamn wary of trusting anyone. He crouched down in front of the teen.

Sasuke said shakily, "Naruto got kidnapped yesterday. And it always happens and it's worse each time, and then the court phone call came and I was just—so fucking scared that-"

"-that I'd end this?"

Sasuke nodded. His eyes were focused on the cool tiles and he'd buried one pale hand in his hair. The other was held over his chest, as if in protection. "...yeah."

Kabuto sighed and said, "I won't. I swear. There's nothing short of death that would make me end it, and most certainly not now."

Sasuke nodded and then there was silence.

Kabuto sighed again, with more amusement, and kissed the boy deeply. Then he sobered and said, "Naruto was... kidnapped?"

Sasuke raised his head and his mouth quirked into a very very slight smile, a sort of bitterly amused expression. "This is the... third time something like this has happened to him. He always attracts psychos... and somehow he always gets out of it, but this time... it just feels more dangerous. He's pushing his luck."

Kabuto remembered the bouncy blonde kid, a scrawny little bundle of energy. The one who was Sasuke's 'first love', as he'd said. Then memories of the dangerous, amusing man who'd watched Naruto like a watchdog surfaced. He shook his head slightly and then muttered, "I doubt Gaara'll leave him to die. He'll be fine."

Sasuke laughed a little. "That's true, Gaara'll no doubt find him in Timbuktu if he has to. It's the when that's bothering me."

Kabuto nodded and kissed him again. He was settled between Sasuke's pulled up knees, and once he broke the kiss he just laid his head on the teen's shoulder and murmured, "It'll be all right. All of it."

Sasuke nodded slowly and said, "I'll be at the trial tomorrow."

Kabuto smiled into pale warm skin, and Sasuke whispered, "'Love you."

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'Keedokes. Basically all KabuSasu, but oh wells. NEXT CHAP WILL HAVE GAARA POV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MUAHAHAHAHA!!!

And guys, please fucking review. I am aware that the alert system is down and that less of you are reading, but still... I'd really like some feedback here.


	7. Chapter 7

Hellos.

**NOTE: I have no idea of anything court-related, and I don't have a TV, so I never watch court shows. I tried making the court scenes as vague as possible... but if there's some huge mistake, then tell me. Just don't chew me out about it, I honestly am fucking clueless about this stuff.**

Randomness: Metallica, 'The Unforgiven'

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Dusk Boulevard

He flipped the lighter open and closed, open and closed. The air around him was cold.

Very cold.

The window was wide open. Presumably still from last week when he had left for work and left the waif here _alone_.

Yes, he could well imagine him running out and leaving it open to let ice-cold air pour into the kitchen.

He flipped the lighter open and stared at the dancing flame.

He flipped it closed again.

He was trembling.

His eyes, he knew, would be a cold brilliant white-green. He knew because he'd seen them reflected in seven hundred and forty-seven people's dead dull eyes.

He lit himself a cigarette.

He never smoked.

Hadn't smoked for years now.

But the waif was gone, and he hadn't found anything. Not one speck of information. No hints whatsoever.

In seven days... the waif wasn't weak, but even he wouldn't stand more than a whole week of...

Images flashed behind his eyes—the waif on that cellar bed that stank of mold, the way he'd lain here in the kitchen smeared with blood and torn in mind and body...

He was still sure that he could've gotten a few more screams out of Mizuki if he wouldn't have lost control and ripped him apart so soon. He should've waited. That piece of shit had deserved much more pain that he'd gotten.

The cigarette smoke was warm and harsh in his throat and he got up quickly and paced the length of the small room. His hands curled and uncurled dangerously. Smoke dissipated in the cold air.

He snatched the cigarette out of his mouth and ground it out.

He could see all too well his waif crying and hurt beneath someone else. The image sent a shock through his bones.

No one had the right to hurt his waif except for him.

_No one_.

His eyes narrowed as his waif appeared in his mind, well-fucked and sobbing, and he shrugged into his jacket and snagged his keys off the table.

There had to be something.

Somewhere.

°

Sasuke stared straight ahead, trying to drill a hole in the smooth brown wall of the courtroom, eyes focused above the judge's head. He ignored the whispers coming from the group huddled down the row from him, and the deathglares from the crowd one row behind.

The group behind him was Tayuya's little clique. They glared and gossiped and insulted, and it was always entertaining to hear them discuss Kabuto and his sex habits.

The group beside him was Kabuto's family, and it seemed they weren't too interested in the trial either way—they were all women, frumpy aunts and grandmas and one little child. They had Tsume and Aki with them, and were keeping them occupied with quiet games, trying to keep the children from latching onto Sasuke as they had each other day of this week.

The kids were not really understanding most of this—Aki got the basics, but neither had really grasped it enough to worry.

Sasukke watched Tayuya talk, able to tune most of her less raucous declarations out. He didn't understand what was going on half the time—he'd never watched those law virtshows, and he'd never been in a trial before, so he didn't understand all the hammer-hitting and the booming shouts for "Order".

He shifted slightly. He wanted a smoke.

Sasuke had been getting up at eleven every day of this week, after a fitful sleep interrupted by short, worried discussions with the others about both Naruto and the trial. He'd go to Kabuto's right after dressing and a quick stop at the Arcade, and then he'd come here with the man and the kids.

And while he could stand a lot of things, he didn't think he'd ever gone this long without smoking at a time for all of the three years he'd been a hardcore addict. AN HOUR AT A TIME?! What were these people, fucking monsters? Sadists?

He glanced behind himself. The people that always accompanied Tayuya—the massive round, orange-haired guy, the one who looked like a neater, nicer version of Ukon, the weird oily guy with the bronze skin, and the tall pale man who Sasuke had taken a sort of a liking to since he'd found out he smoked too—were either listening interestedly to the trial's proceedings, fidgeting, or sitting there with a sort of glazed look. It seemed they'd exhausted today's routine of hissing things about Sasuke and Kabuto at each other.

The tall pale guy never really joined in. Actually, he never really spoke. He and Sasuke would go on smoke breaks together every hour or so, but it was more like-- "Don't make me make a fool of myself, let's go together" than anything else.

Sasuke caught his strange flat eyes and made a slight jerking motion of his head, and the man nodded slightly. They got up and Tayuya's other cronies didn't even notice. Hurrying out of the courtroom, they walked through the tall, quiet corridors in silence and stepped out of the huge revolving door that served as an entrance to the building into the cool, muggy air.

The court building was on Dusk Building, as basically all government edifices were. The wide street was clogged with traffic, and a filmy haze of smog shimmered in the gray air above them.

Sasuke fumbled out a cigarette and lit it, and the man did the same.

They smoked in more silence, Sasuke tasting the smoke almost ecstatically as it curled down his throat. Ahh... what would the world be without nicotine?

Naruto was still missing. The Konoha crowd hadn't heard a thing about him from anyone, and not even Tenten or Haku had gotten any tidbits from their contacts.

Sasuke spent most of his time worried about Kabuto, some of it worried about Naruto, and the worst part of it he spent worried about _both—_those would be the times where he'd get himself a bottle of gin and get steadily drunk on his own.

The cigarette was finished too quickly, and he ground it out on the concrete of the sidewalk, glancing over at the man. He was just staring out at the cars, still smoking slowly.

Sasuke shrugged slightly and went back inside. The silent corridors were too warm and stuffy, and the clack of heel on the linoleum echoed hollowly throughout the complex.

He slipped back inside the courtroom. Tayuya's voice had stilled, and instead her lawyer—the prominent one even Sasuke knew—was at it. Sasuke could barely see the back of Kabuto's silver hair at the opposite side of the room from Tayuya's pink.

Sasuke watched the man, wondering whether it was going well for him or not.

He sure as hell hoped so.

The teen glanced over to where the kids were giggling softly into their game consoles. Aki had been dressed by both Kabuto and Sasuke in an extreme hurry this morning, and the collar of his shirt was messy. Tsume's big eyes were bright on her game and she let out little crows of delight from time to time.

Sasuke froze as the whole murmur of all the paper-shuffling and gossiping that he was so used to suddenly ceased, and he looked up front, worried.

Shit.

Tayuya was standing up again, and now she was _really_ loud. "I have a fucking point to make!" she screeched.

The judge, an old sour-looking man, pounded his hammer on his massive desk, and roared, "Order!"

Tayuya went on regardless. "I don't understand how you can find an asshole who fucks minors an appro-fucking-priate caretaker for two kids!"

There was utter silence and Sasuke's heart plummeted to the pit of his stomach. The two groups behind him and beside him began whispering suddenly, and the few others sitting in the seat rows murmured questions to each other in confusion.

The judge slammed that stupid hammer down again and shouted, "Silence! Now, first of all, that was completely out of order. Second of all, do you have any hard evidence for that claim?"

Kabuto turned around slightly and caught Sasuke's eye, and Sasuke froze at the dark, dark worry in them.

And Tayuya, down in that open space, half-turned and her bright furious eyes were narrow as she pointed straight at Sasuke and hissed, "There's my fucking proof. That fucking little slut son-of-a-bitch is being fucked nightly by my man!"

Sasuke stood up, snarling under his breath and tense in rage. It sounded so vulgar when she hissed it out in words like that, and he cursed her for being able to make something so... perfect... sound so dirty.

The judge had immediately dispatched someone to go check something up, and they came back a few moments later with a sheaf of papers.

Sasuke's heart hurt from the fear and nervosity(AN: To ME THIS IS A WORD, DAMMIT!!!) thrumming through his muscles and veins. He watched, petrified, as Kabuto turned back around and the judge began speaking again, asking one very long and stern question.

The whispering and shuffling in the seat rows grew louder and louder, and then Kabuto nodded sharply, and silence fell again.

Sasuke froze. He barely noticed that all the people's eyes were now on him, simply trying to focus on the judge without keeling over as the man said, "This will have serious consequences for not only the case, Mr. Yakushi."

This silence was much longer and as Sasuke sat back down and listened to the judge's musings he wondered what the world could still throw at him to make this worse.

°

Naruto bit his lip as the cold needle drew out of his skin. The tender part of his inner elbow that Shukaku always injected the vile yellow liquid into ached as the glass finally left it, and it was red and swollen compared to the rest of his arm.

A week now. A whole fucking week of this disgustingly cold and impersonal bright white room and Shukaku's cold, cold yellow eyes all over him... and that frightening, smooth way he moved, so reminiscent of Gaaras gracefully deadly actions.

Shukaku's short black hair gleamed in the light as he stood up from leaning over Naruto and went to wash out the syringe. Naruto averted his eyes, knowing all too well that the ebony of the frightening man's hair glinted red in the too-bright light of the room, and that that combined with those deadly smooth motions was just too much like Gaara for him too stand.

The straps were loose around his arms, and Shukaku had let him out of the chair a few times, just to walk around the room under his heavy gaze. The man was still basically starving him, and if Naruto had the courage to stand up to those scary yellow eyes he would have pulled a tantrum over it, but the fact remained that he didn't, so he took what food he got, and gladly.

His whole body had the drowsy, leaden feeling he always got after one of those revolting shots—Shukaku _still _hadn't told him what was in them, just muttered more shit about making "Kyuubi" perfect. He watched detachedly as Shukaku turned around at the sink and said, smiling warmly with that _twisted_ look in his eyes, "I'll be right back, love... just wait for me."

Naruto wanted to hiss something like 'why he would want him back anyway', but by the time the whole thought had formed Shukaku was already out of the room, the heavy white door slamming shut behind his dark gray lab coat. He stared at the much-emptier rack of yellow-fluid-filled test tubes, and hated himself.

This whole week had been hell. Always and every time after the shot—there were two a day—Shukaku would wait for the by now very familiar and dreaded 'second reaction' to set in, and go about his business with an utterly horny Naruto. And then there were the days where he would be in a strange mood and smell of too much alcohol, and be vicious to the blonde, hurting him on purpose during sex or wrenching the syringe out with much more force than necessary, all the while murmuring his love for this "Kyuubi" person—who Naruto really hated by now, because if they hadn't gone and disappeared or whatever, he wouldn't be strapped to a chair and away from...

Away from Gaara...

He wanted to cry. So badly.

Juts being raped was something different than this, because with Shukaku half the time his body _loved _the fucking. Completely loved it, needed it, wanted it. It was disgusting.

His eyes widened and he felt all of his muscles clench simultaneously as the second reaction hit him hard. The lethargy disappeared, and instead he was panting heavily and twisting in the straps of the chair, wanting... wanting to be fucked so _badly_.

This in itself was a first for Naruto—he'd only ever wanted to have sex with one person, and that was Gaara. He'd never, ever become horny, just like that, with no concrete person or reason in mind. This... this... this was just plain frightening.

He shook his head from side to side, trying to cool the rising heat in his cheeks and calm down, his eyes seeking the room door out. Where was Shukaku?

He groaned out loud as the last wave of arousal hit, the one that would last forever if he didn't... do anything... NOW.

Naruto had slipped one of his hands out of the straps before he knew it, and slid it between his legs, fisting himself, trying to get rid of the insane urge to just... _fuck_.

It wasn't enough... it just wasn't enough! He moaned helplessly, arching. Where was that asshole? If he already held him captive, couldn't he at least be reliable enough to rape him?!

Naruto slid his hand farther down, almost subconsciously, not registering the action until his finger was already halfway inside him. He bit his lip and some of the red fog retreated from his vision. If only Gaara were here, instead of this cheap substitute...

He moaned and slid another finger inside himself. "Gaara..." the image of the redhead above him, cold and hard and strong during sex, triggered a swell of heat and the ache inside him deepened again.

Breathless, he tried to fuck himself deeper, but it didn't work.

He closed his eyes and swallowed hard, adding a third finger and shuddering violently at the feeling. So this was it. This was what he needed... or at least, sort of...

"Oh fuck, Gaara-"

He spread his legs a little, and twisted the digits inside himself, back and forth, back and forth, crying out helplessly with each shift, his body shivering and trembling. "Ah!"

His eyes squeezed shut, and with the last, violent scissoring, the heat subsided and he came all over himself, panting heavily.

He slid his fingers out of himself and swallowed bile, disgusted at what he'd done.

Naruto caught his breath and held back tears.

Where _was _the redhead? What was he doing right now? Was he worried?

Naruto hoped so, because maybe he'd come to get him then...

The door hissed open and Shukaku came in, smiling scarily. "That was beautiful, my love," he hissed.

Naruto hated him.

°

Temari pulled her coat a little tighter closed. It wasn't really cold, but this area freaked her out. The groaning gray buildings and the muck everywhere were the perfect setting for the shady men and women that loitered on doorsteps and in corners, glaring at each other and at passersby.

Temari was coming from Gaara's place—her brother hadn't answered her buzz, so she guessed he was somewhere else... and, as a rule, Gaara's usual hang outs were not places Temari liked very much.

She had some information from Yashamaru that she was sure Gaara would like to hear, but if this, the third smoky, sleazy bar so far, didn't have him in it, she would go back home. One could only stand so much glaring and leering a day. At least, if you were a normal human being.

She pushed open the low, rickety door of the bar and wrinkled her nose at the miasma of stale smoke, unwashed bodies and raw alcohol that slammed into her. She wove her way between tables of gray, angry-looking men and bitter, pinched women, and finally reached the dirty bar. She plunked down a few small chips and jerked her head wearily towards the unassuming door in the back of the barroom.

The bartender nodded and she stepped through the plain door and into the sweet heavy smell of _shicha_. A few people were sitting on the low, colorful couches, usually sequestered into the darkest corners, and Temari scanned them impatiently, her gaze almost skipping over him. She started and looked again, and it was Gaara for sure, red hair glowing brightly in the dim smoky light and eyes cold and hard.

Those were Sandman eyes, and Temari had to steady herself as she began making her way towards her brother. Icy turquoise Sandman eyes.

She sat down next to him and muttered softly, "You sure are a bitch to find, Gaara."

Those unnerving eyes shifted to her and he asked softly, his nonexistent eyebrows rising, his voice deadly cold, "What do you want?"  
Temari didn't know what to say, not with those burning cold eyes drilling into her. "How... are you?" she started hesitantly.

Gaara hissed softly and his eyes brightened, his whole body tensing.

Okay, wrong thing to say... not good, most definitely not good. Temari was very, very close to bolting.

She had never talked much with her brother. She still didn't talk much with her brother. And this was why! He was so frighteningly unpredictable...

"There's a lead on Naruto," she blurted.

Gaara's eyes hardened and a pale hand reached out to grip her wrist in a painful claw. Oh god this had been such a bad idea. He was much too Sandman to act rationally. "Where-is-he?" he hissed.

Temari flinched as the hand on her wrist twisted and something ground ominously and painfully under the skin. "Yashamaru called me and--"

Her brother's—no, the Sandman's eyes narrowed and he hissed again, "_Where is he?_", his hand twisting her wrist so far that something cracked wetly and she had to bite back a scream. She felt the telltale heat of tears in her eyes.

"I-I only know the n-name," she gasped. "Shukaku!"

Gaara let her hand go and stood quickly and smoothly, leaving the room in fast, graceful strides.

Temari held her wrist and choked down her tears, glaring furiously at anyone who dared come too near.

The _shicha_ room was silent.

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MUHAHAHAHA.

And to the reviewer who once asked what shicha is, shicha are waterpipes(I don't remember whether I answered this before) that burn flavored tobacco... I think at least. Or no I think the water is flavored and you smoke that in some way... I dunno. anyway it's a pipe out of which you smoke scented smoke. Supposedly it's actually less healthy than cigarettes...

PLEASE REVIEW!!! Tell me how Gaara's POV was, so I can work up the courage to start using it more often...

Next chap, you'll find out what exactly the consequences for Kabu's minor-sexage are, as well as how Gaara finds Shuka... and ITACHI SHALL ARRIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	8. Chapter 8

**BAMBI **has disappeared on meeeeeee!!!!!!!!! °runs around in frantic circles until she bangs into the wall°

Oh well, she'll turn up.

So... ITACHI MAKES AN APPEARANCE IN HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I doubt there'll be Naru, but... we'll see.

Mainly Angst!Sasu and Insane!Gaara... and ze Akatzooki!!! Or, well, four of them...

Randomness: Battlelore, "Into the New World". --awesome band...!!!!!!

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Dusk Boulevard

The warehouse was high-ceilinged and cold from all the whirring air machines that stood in it, sleek black and silver computers and glowing green screens. The huge sliding doors to the warehouse were all halfway open to the darkening afternoon, and through one the empty street, a little alley running off of Dusk Boulevard, was visible in all its dreary grayness.

The security men at the doors were smoking and gossiping in bored monosyllabic words, leaned against the metal walls in their stiff black suits.

Kisame leaned back in his chair, stretching his sore muscles. They'd had a long night yesterday... all that hacking and slashing and whatnot had put quite a lot of strain on him, after all he always ended up with the guys that looked the most like trolls... Itachi took a sadistic pleasure in watching him lose fights.

But then, Itachi took a sadistic pleasure in a lot of weird and disturbing things...

Kisame gulped down some burnt-tasting coffee—seemed that Sasori had made it today—and squinted at his six computer screens, arrayed around him like a half-circle shield. The other guys' workstations were deserted—Sasori and Deidara were off... fucking, probably, and Itachi was down in his dark lair, probably reading Poe or some shit like that...

He leaned forward and typed out something fast, the Cyrillic symbols blinking across the screen as he saved a few of the preceding lines of data. Then he went back to nursing his disgusting excuse for coffee.

He really didn't like his life much. Itachi being mean to him—no, vicious—was okay, but why did he have to put up with _Sasori's _shit too? And Deidara's dumbass remarks? And, GAH, that stupid "Yeah?"! It took so much self-restraint for Kisame not to kill him each time...

He glanced up as the security men shouted something. A tall redhead was walking deliberately past them, and as Kisame watched one of the security guys reached out and tried to stop him with force. The slender form whirled and in a flash the black-suited guy was on the floor and shrieking.

Kisame's eyes widened and he hoped this wouldn't become dangerous. He didn't feel like fighting just now.

The redhead planted two hands on Kisame's desk and hissed, "Information."

Kisame swallowed hard. He was used to freaks coming by, it was an occupational hazard in their profession, but those _eyes_... Squaring his shoulders and sitting up a little straighter, he put on his best growl-and-grin combo, and said, "On what?"

The man, red hair glowing in the dim empty room, muttered, "Shukaku."

Kisame, fingers poised over his keyboard—very expensive, sleek and blue-lighted, a present from Itachi after Kisame'd done... a few disturbing things... -- turned away from the rows of glowing screens and smirked. "Aha. Shukaku's been stirring trouble again?"

The man leaned over a bit farther and Kisame winced. "Right. So what do you want about him?"

Kisame only vaguely remembered Shukaku as one of those weird, silent guys who was always latched onto his little fucktoy, this working class kid with the brightest hair and grin he'd ever seen. Itachi had had the most to do with him; thw two of them had always been sequestered into the little lab Itachi'd assembled for the scientist, discussing new ideas for serums and weapons and technology... After that scrawny little brat'd died—Itachi had hinted that it had been Shukaku's fault, yet another strange experiment—the man had gone utterly insane.

Itachi and Sasori had thrown him out of the gang and made Deidara track all of his movements—any information leaking out about their little... business... would be their downfall. Every now and then Deidara would drop a little tidbit about the scientist's current activities, but it seemed that he hadn't ever even come close to tattling on them. Last thing Deidara'd said was that he was working for the State, developing weird new machinery and shit.

"Where is he?" the man hissed, and Kisame sighed, covering up his anxiety, and typed a few queries into his main screen. "He has his main office on Suit Square, on the corner of Dusk Boulevard and Main Street—I think he's there most of the time, there's an apartment in the complex. Anything else—hey!"

The man was already halfway to the exit, and Kisame made to get up—no information without pay, dammit!--when a cold voice murmured behind him, "Leave him."

Kisame watched as the guy walked past the suddenly quiet security men and disappeared out of his sight, then turned around. "Why? He didn't pay anything, Itachi!"

Itachi moved out of the shadows of the door to the living area, the usual bored look on his pale, perfect face and his hair in a sleek ponytail. His eyes were flashing red, and his simple black suit looked freshly ironed—but then, all Itachi's clothes looked freshly ironed, no matter how long he'd been wearing them. "Just take my word for it, he's out of your league. Don't waste your time trying to wrap your rather tiny brain around who is dangerous and who isn't, Kisame. Thinking doesn't suit you."

Kisame snarled under his breath and wanted to reply in kind, but then Itachi shifted a little and said, "Deidara found _him_ this morning. Get the car ready, we're paying him a visit."

Kisame started, and got up in a flash. "Deidara's found him? Finally?"

Itachi scowled and hissed, "Don't repeat my words, Kisame. It makes you sound even stupider than you are. And that's difficult in itself."

Kisame winced inwardly. "...I'll go get the car. Are Sasori and Deidara coming with?"

Itachi's lips twisted into a sexy—well, everything he did was sexy, in Kisame's opinion—grimace, and he muttered, cold voice laced with disgust, "Once they finish humping like rabbits, yes."

Kisame chuckled to himself and went to get the car ready.

°

"Tsume wants a hug!" the little girl sniffed, still crying a little. Sasuke sighed and leaned down to pick her up, carefully avoiding burning her hair with his cigarette and hefting her to his hip. Aki curled his arms around his hips and buried his face in his jeans.

Asuma bit his lip, looking uncomfortable. He was standing behind them, at the edge of the entrance area. The smoky-smelling, dim expanse of his apartment sprawled out behind him.

Kabuto had told Sasuke to leave the kids with the man—he was a colleague from his job, and it seemed that the two men got along well or something, because when Sasuke had called after the court had adjourned earlier, still numb and cold inside from what had happened, Asuma had agreed to take the kids immediately. Now that he was here and leaving them, his emotions were unfreezing a little. He pressed his nose into Tsume's soft hair and said softly, "I'll be back tomorrow, okay? Asuma will take great care of you, don't worry."

Aki muttered sadly, "I want you and Dad, though..."

Sasuke shrugged and it took a lot of effort to keep his voice level as he said, "That's not possible, and you know it... I'm sorry, okay?"

Aki just held him tighter, and Tsume started sniffling all over again. Sasuke looked at the floor and took a deep drag of his cigarette. Then he decisively peeled Aki off of him and set Tsume down, saying, "I should get going, kids."

He needed alcohol.

Asuma nodded good bye at him, awkwardly holding the kids back, his massive frame looking incongruous with the little kids so close to him. Sasuke managed a weak smile back and left the apartment, the door slamming shut behind him with an eerie finality.

He left the apartment building and got on the bus. It was still mild weather, and the long drive from Asuma's place—he lived on the far end of Dusk Boulevard, past the government buildings and in the direction of the outskirts—would have been okay, if Sasuke hadn't been so fucking destroyed inside.

The bus was too full. It was the housewife crowd and the kids-going-home crowd, and the loud shrieks and cell phones and gossiping grated on his nerves.

He needed alcohol. He wanted to drown in it. Anything to make him numb and forget the horrific day.

At Whore Street he got off to the whispers of the few schoolkids that were still on the bus and went directly to the shop around the corner on Dusk, buying himself two bottles of gin and one of vodka and then walking slowly towards the Konoha. He smoked agitatedly and finished two whole cigs in the short time it took to get to the shop, alternating drags with gulps of spicy gin.

The mild but muggy weather made the afternoon sky a dull grayish-yellow, and the sickly color was accompanied by a warm, stinking wind.

Sasuke sat down on his mattress and ignored everyone's worried questions until someone actually laid their hand on his shoulder. He looked up, glaring.

Ino was standing over him, not deterred by the glare, looking worried. Kiba and Tenten were watching avidly, and Shikamaru and Shino just seemed disinterested. Kakashi was peeking over the top of his bright pink book, and the glaring, blinking lights of the signs hurt Sasuke's eyes. He took a swig of gin and muttered, "What?" to the blonde girl.

"What's wrong?" she asked, eyes clouded.

Sasuke shrugged and finished his cigarette. "Nothing."

Kiba snarled, "Come _on, _Sasuke. Something's wrong, man. What's going on?"

Sasuke wrapped his arms around his knees and muttered, "Tayuya told the judge Kabuto was sleeping with me."

"But... why's that a problem, I thought you two had already gotten over that...?" Ino asked.

"He's a minor, Ino." Tenten supplied.

The blonde girl's eyes widened. "Oh fuck. So what happened?"

Sasuke's lips twitched and he drank long and hard from the gin bottle. "He's not allowed to get within five hundred meters of me or the kids."

There was silence, until Kakshi muttered, his voice shocked, "A _restraining order_?!"

Sasuke nodded slightly and drank more.

"Shiiit." Kiba said softly.

They were all quiet for a while.

Sasuke had reached the half-mark of the bottle now, and the numbness was close to perfect.

Ino had sat down next to him, and Kiba on the other, and Sasuke was sharing drags of his cigarette with the blonde. The gin was going away between him and Kiba—Ino hated the sharp, greasy taste of it.

Tenten was watching them, eyes darker than usual, and Shino was playing with his bugs. Kakashi was peering up from his book every now and then, and Shikamaru lay still as the dead on his blankets.

Sasuke fished for a cigarette, and finding none, glared down at his pack. "Fuck," he muttered.

He got up. Ino looked up at him, surprised, and he showed her the empty pack. She grinned. "Oh."

He went back to the shop on Dusk, dragging his feet. He'd drunken enough to be a bit farther away from everything, and for everything to have that extra shine to it. The lady in the small shop tossed him his usual brand without cracking a smile, and he gave her the necessary chips and left again. On the sidewalk, he stopped short and went back in.

She glared at him, and he muttered, "Give me another one."

She reached up into the rack and threw it to him, and more chips fell onto the counter. He pocketed the new pack too and returned to the Konoha.

Haku was there when he arrived, seated on his mattress and flicking through a magazine, a half-eaten apple poised in one slim hand and a long cigarette in the other. He looked up when Sasuke sat down, and murmured in his soft, melodious voice, "I heard the news. I'm so sorry, Sasuke."

Sasuke watched the other kid smoke. He was wearing his usual white jeans and red turtleneck, and his ragged red velvet jacket hung loose around his frame. His hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail today.

After a long time, Sasuke nodded in acknowledgment and lit a cigarette. Haku smiled at him and threw away his apple. He leaned in close and put an arm around him, reaching for the gin bottle still standing by the mattress and taking a gulp. Then he raised it and bumped it lightly against Sasuke's forehead. "Cheer up. It'll all work out, love."

Sasuke had to smile a little.

He turned away and looked around the Konoha, drinking of the gin. Tenten and Ino were discussing Naruto in worried tones, and Shino was still doing stuff with his bugs. Kiba was continuously throwing his two cents in with the girls.

Haku turned to see what Sasuke was looking at and said softly, "Yeah, Naruto's still missing, isn't he?"

Sasuke nodded and rubbed at his temples. "Life is a bitch at the moment."

Haku laughed warmly. "It'll get better. Naruto'll be fine, he's strong. And it's not like Gaara'll just leave him to die. He's seriously obsessed with Naru-chan."

Sasuke nodded again.

He leaned into Haku—Hell, he was drunk, tired and cold, and Haku was nice and warm... no, he was _not _seeking comfort!--and looked down Whore. A few businessmen were already on their way home from work—it was probably around four o'clock.

He watched disinterestedly as a long black car pulled up, and not until Kiba exclaimed, "Damn! A limousine!" did he notice what it actually was and pay more attention.

Haku twisted around, too, and whistled low in his pretty throat. "Wow!"

A limousine on Whore? Strange. But Sasuke was numb, and as he finished off the gin he realized he really didn't care about whether limousines stopped on Whore or not. He had better things to worry about.

Like whether he'd see Kabuto again, or...

Kiba exclaimed, "What the fuck?", and Sasuke looked up. Haku was wide-eyed next to him, and grinning a little.

The limousine had stopped.

Right.

In.

Front.

Of the Konoha.

Kakashi stood up and said, grinning crookedly, "Now, I'd be very happy if that were a customer for _me_..."

Ino snorted, "Forget it, Kakashi, we all know your only customers are us and those Ultranet pervs..."

Tenten laughed. "Too true..."

They all looked up, even Sasuke turning, when the door of the car opened slowly with only a single click, well-oiled and quiet. Haku shifted and murmured in amusement, "You guys get so much excitement over here...!", tossing his dark hair over one slim shoulder.

Sasuke snorted under his breath and lit a new cigarette. He frankly didn't care who was in the car. They could go to hell.

Still, when Haku squeezed his shoulders briefly and said, "Come on, let's see who's in there," he looked up.

Everyone was peering interestedly at the open door, and when the slender, tallish man—woman?--got out, there was a collective jump.

Sasuke watched them uninterestedly. Long blonde hair, combed to one side, uncannily like Ino's whoring hairdo, simple black suit, and a sort of crazed, friendly grin.

Sasuke smoked.

The blonde...Sasuke decided it was a man... man scanned the expectant people, grinning a bit wider, and then he focused in on Sasuke and muttered in a voice just as androgynous as his overall appearance, "...He really does look like him, yeah?"

The next man to get out of the car promptly punched the back of the blonde's head, and growled, "Shut up, Deidara." He straightened the same black suit that the blonde wore, and glared at a vague point on the pink awning, gleaming black eyes annoyed. His black hair was gelled up into exaggerated spikes and he stood with a strange uneasiness.

"...Kisame." The next man to slide out was the smallest by far, a petite sort of guy with stark bloody red hair and fearsome eyes. His voice was icy cold and the one called Kisame gulped visibly and scooted away.

It looked really impressive in a way, the three men in identical black suits lined up in front of a sleek long dark car that gleamed in the near-dusk, each one a bit crazier-looking than the last...

Sasuke opened his second bottle of gin and smoked. Haku was grinning next to him, caught up in the whole thing, eyes even larger and softer than normal. Ino and Tenten were giggling to each other, Shikamaru and Shino were bored, and Kiba and Kakashi were gaping.

He barely noticed that a fourth guy was getting out until Haku hit him and said, "Come on, join in the staring!" and he sighed wearily and looked up.

Straight into red-spinning black.

He froze. The gin bottle almost fell, and he barely managed to keep a hold on it in time.

"What the fuck are _you _doing here?" he hissed.

Haku started around him and turned. "Sasuke? You know hi--" and then his limpid eyes flashed between the two dark-haired males and he gasped a little. "Wow..."

Sasuke smoked desperately, glaring up at the man in the black suit that stood a meter or so away. He looked immaculate and perfect as always. "Itachi... what the fuck? Fuck off."

The man smiled coldly and murmured, "I don't think I will, little brother."

Ino gasped and Kiba muttered something low and fervent. Itachi's frightening eyes flicked over them, lingering on the lingerie and the alcohol and the frayed blankets. "So, this is what your lie is now?"

Sasuke stiffened. That cold, disgust-laced tone... "Fuck _o_--"

Haku stood up suddenly and stepped within three inches of Itachi and hissed angrily, his voice low and passionate, "You're Sasuke's family? And this is the first thing you have to say to him? I might not get the situation, but..."

"It's fine, Haku... He's always an asshole like this, there's no hope." Sasuke muttered softly, tugging on the other kid's pants to get him to sit down. Ino and Tenten were open-mouthed, and Kiba had sat back down next to Shino. Kakashi was watching carefully over his book.

Haku frowned, looking down at him. "Are you sure? Fuck knows you've got enough to deal with right no--"

"Haku!" Sasuke hissed.

The beautiful teen slapped his forehead and said, "...sorry." Then he looked up to the sky and continued, with a cold glance for the silently waiting men, "I've got to get back to Slum. Zabuza'll kill me otherwise." He waved jauntily, lit a cigarette, gave silent, smirking Itachi a last glare, and headed off.

Sasuke looked up at his brother, his oh-so-perfect brother, and wanted to explode. This was just too fucking much. Too much! "What do you want?"

Everyone else under the awning was now studiously doing something else than listening, and Sasuke appreciated it even in his numb state.

Behind Itachi, the three other men were all busying themselves; the blonde was playing one of those palm-sudoku games, the dark-haired glowering one was cleaning his gun, and the redhead was going over a sheaf of papers. The tall, slender man with the black ponytail and those infernal eyes just smiled coldly again and said, "Your help, little brother."

Sasuke snarled up at him. "Well, you can forget it right away then."

Itachi leaned down and Sasuke couldn't help but try to slide back. "You can have whatever you want in exchange."

Sasuke nearly laughed out loud. He glanced back at Kakashi, sitting on his steps, and hissed, "Hey, pervert. Let us use your office for a moment?"

Kakashi raised one hand and then let it fall, and drawled, "No problem."

Sasuke jerked his head towards the door of the store and got up, making it to the entrance first and stepping into the dim reddish-pink glow of the interior. He watched Itachi close the door behind himself, and as soon as the latch clicked into place he hissed, "Listen up, Itachi. I am not going to help you, no matter what lies you dish up, and it would be good for both of us if you just fucked off. Now." His voice was rising, the alcohol-numbness receding.

His brother glanced around the shop, his eyes catching on the open box of condoms on the counter that the whores had taken to just grabbing a few from every now and then. Then those red-gleaming eyes slid over Sasuke's form, and there was silence.

Sasuke lit a cigarette.

"So, do you like spreading your legs for money?" Itachi asked in such a conversational, neutral tone that it took Sasuke a relatively long time for the words to register.

He tensed hard and hated himself for even rising to his brother's taunts. "I don't really care," he said, and there was no quiver in his voice. He took a deep drag of his cigarette. "Are we finished now?"

Itachi smiled icily. "No. But you can think so if it makes you feel better."

"Accommodating me? That's a weird image."

Itachi was already out the door. He leaned back one last time before he disappeared, and said, "Don't smoke so much, little brother... if you get a throatache, you won't be able to fake any moans for your customers." And then he smirked and left.

Sasuke sank to the floor and wanted Kabuto.

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...ya... not too sure about this...

Oh well.

PLEASE REVIEW, me hearties!!!!

Next chap: FINALLY! GAARA TO THE RESCUE!!!, more fun wiz ze Akatzooki, and... erm... KabuSasu, I guess...? Or maybe just GaaNaru?

HAHAHAHAHA. How about... WE'LL SEE WHEN WE GET THERE.


	9. Chapter 9

Hey all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry I've been so lazy and not replying to your reviews... I'm job hunting because I have a massive fine to pay by tomorrow and I have exactly 31 Euro on my account...°sweatdrop°...

BUT I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

THANK YOU!!!

Anyway, now Gaara shall come to the rescue and much trauma and breakdown and hot smex shall ensue. Have fun!!!

My second foray into the Gaara-POV follows!!!

Randomness: Battlelore, "Beneath the Waves"

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Dusk Boulevard

He slammed the man against the wall, smiling hungrily at his shriek. The one down at the entrance way had needed little persuasion to let him in and point out the way... he'd gurgled out the directions with the last of his breath, for some reason thinking he'd survive the gaping smile in his throat.

He smiled again, a bit wider, fully aware that he was as close to the brink of becoming his old self as he hadn't been for...months.

It was a good feeling.

The waif was in here somewhere, down this long high white corridor. He snarled as he imagined this... Shukaku... touching _his_ waif, the blonde hair mussed and tears in the sapphire eyes.

No one but _he_ could hurt him!

He stalked slowly, angrily down the corridor, stopping at the high white door that ended it. The old knife—not the waif's gift, that one was for use only on the waif's skin—was dripping blood and his knuckles were white around the grip, his other hand clenched in his pocket.

The door slid open slowly when he kicked it, and he stepped inside.

It was all white, a blinding, too-bright color.

He scanned the huge room, his eyes focused on the center, and he froze as he fell over the brink and into the black and red madness of what used to be called the Sandman.

His eyes stung as they narrowed and hardened into ice, even colder than what they had been before, and his whole body tensed, a cold, burning rage coursing through his veins.

His waif—_his _waif!--was bound to a chair, bound to a chair like an animal, his blonde hair tossing as he struggled to get away from whatever the dark-haired man, bent over him with his back toward the door, was doing.

Gaara took a slow, calm step forward, his eyes slowly scanning his waif's frightened face. Black and red insanity roiled inside him, and his hand left his pocket to pick up a glass container from a table as he passed it, hefting the cool bottle easily and raising it to break off the end and make it deadly and jagged. His eyes snapped to his waif, though, when the rough, melodious voice cried, "No!"

He watched, blood boiling and the madness raging wildly, as the waif's back arched taut and his mouth opened in a breathless cry, his eyes wide and blue and panicked. The man leaning over him slowly straightened, and the waif slumped down in his bonds, whimpering softly.

A clear glass syringe, the tip still glistening with yellow fluid, appeared in the man's hands, and he turned around slowly, murmuring, "This was the critical dosage, my Kyuubi... you're perfect now, and we'll always... always be together."

Gaara snarled incoherently. This man... dared to claim his waif? His own blonde waif? The one who should be lying in his bed at the moment, calling him names and-and-

He was on him before he had even fully turned around, the knife biting deep into his shoulder and the glass bottle's end shattering on the table in preparation.

Yellow eyes widened in fear and the man gasped. "Wha-Who are you?!" Then the pain of the wound hit and Gaara hissed in pleasure as he collapsed, holding his shoulder and groaning.

Gaara grabbed the collar of his shirt and dragged him back up. "That... is _mine_." He let his gaze slip to were the waif was lying as if unconscious on the chair.

The man shook his head. "No! No, that is my Kyuubi!" But his voice was broken and it wouldn't take much for him to give up.

... Gaara didn't need him to give up. He wanted something else.

The knife slid slowly, carefully under the skin of the man's forehead, not damaging any muscle tissue. The man screamed and tried to struggle, a sluggish curtain of blood sliding down his face.

Gaara smiled wider, and his eyes reflected as a white-hot, clear green in the panicked yellow beneath him.

°

Not ten minutes later, the man was not even human anymore, a vaguely bipedal mass of bloody muscle and white nerve endings, his skin a pile of bronze, bloody shreds scattered on the floor. Gaara knelt over the quivering mess, still smiling, and enjoyed the thing's panicked babbling and shrieking.

The tongue was still intact.

The broken glass bottle rose and plunged down, and an agonized scream filled the room as the thing's stomach gaped open and the rubbery mess of its intestines tumbled out onto the blood-smeared tiles. Yellow eyes, only pinpricks of color in a sea of white now that shock had set in, sought out Gaara's own, and in a sobbing gasp the thing begged, "Stopstopstopstopstop!"

Gaara cut its tongue out and the ensuing incoherent shrieks and moans were even more entertaining.

It died slowly, and Gaara did his best to make it as painful as possible, drawing the pain out, until it had lost so much blood that it simply faded away and fell limp.

The madness was calmer now, and the pools of blood around him reeked beautifully, the thing dead and silent now and its body already stiffening, the wet quivering muscle darkening from the luscious red of before.

Gaara stood.

The smell of blood always aroused him.

He turned to look at his waif to see the damage the thing had done to him.

The blue eyes were opening slowly, and they locked onto Gaara's with a helpless intensity. Then they moved to the blood and meat at his feet, and widened slightly.

Gaara licked blood off of his lips and moved towards the waif.

The blue eyes widened suddenly, and the slim body arched and tensed. Blue eyes closed halfway and a desperate moan left soft lips.

The waif panted softly, seeking out Gaara's eyes. He lay back and slowly, sensually, spread his legs. The long shirt he wore rode up on his creamy golden thighs and he moaned again.

Gaara stared, the smell of blood and the waif's offering too much for him to bear.

He stepped closer, and closer, and then he was on the chair, tasting the tawny skin of the waif's collarbone, hands sliding up the soft skin of his inner thighs. The waif struggled with his zipper, and then Gaara was sliding into him, deep into tight hot silk, gritting his teeth on a snarl of pleasure.

The waif screamed.

He retrieved the knife that had been a gift from his belt, discarding the bloodied one onto the floor, and slid it up the waif's arm, his eyes narrowing at the inflamed skin on the inside of his elbow. The bonds fell, sliced apart cleanly, and the waif moaned as the blade bit into his wrist. He tightened his legs around Gaara's hips and arched, trying to impale himself further.

The knife fell with a clatter as the madness roiled inside him, the intense feeling of muscles shifting and twisting and sliding around him just--

...too... MUCH.

Gaara buried his face in the waif's neck and bit down hard, muffling rhythmic groans as he thrust harder and harder and forced himself even deeper.

The waif was quivering and gasping beneath him, and every thrust made him arch and tighten his hold on the redhead, his fingers digging hard into the skin of his shoulders.

Gaara raised his head and stared down into cloudy blue eyes, not able to hold back a deep groan as he thrust all the way in, tight heat clamping down on him as the waif climaxed with a scream and fell back against the chair, eyes barely open as he watched Gaara thrust once more and then tense.

Gaara lost control over his voice and let out a near-shout as he came, the heat too much for him and the blood still tantalizing in his nose.

°

Naruto awoke under a warm thick blanket, and blinked slowly. Pale light glowed from one side of wherever he was, and the spicy smell of tatami wafted over from the edge of the futon he was lying on.

It was very familiar, somehow...

He sat up very suddenly when it clicked, and for long seconds he just gazed around the warm-looking bedroom, drinking the comfort in.

Naruto met the clear green depths of Gaara's gaze then, the redhead sitting with his back to the wall under the windows, at the end of the futon, just watching h im. Carefully.

The blonde froze.

Shukaku--

He shivered in self-disgust. He'd loved it. And this time it wasn't even a breakdown... it was _true_. He'd been horny as fuck. And Shukaku... had taken advantage of that.

He was such a sick little slut.

The first tears began spilling over his cheeks, hot and moist. Gaara moved towards him, eyes darkening.

Naruto flinched and got to his feet, running out of the bedroom and slamming the bathroom door shut behind him. He turned the water to the hottest it would go, and then he slid down to curl up in the bottom of the tub, crying softly and helplessly.

Shukaku, that...that... _that bastard! _How dare he... and that sickening yellow stuff... what had been with the 'critical dosage'?

And then-and then—Gaara had come. Even though Naruto had been a slut, Gaara had come and had killed the man. And then... the second reaction had hit and it had all been so wonderful compared to Shukaku but in a way it also tainted it...

Naruto stood up and reached for the soap, scrubbing himself vigorously.

He was dirty.

Soap, shampoo, rinse.

So... fucking dirty!

He didn't know how long he'd been scrubbing away at his aching skin when the door of the bathroom opened. He continued savagely scrubbing at his elbow, trying to get the redness away even though he knew it was only making it worse...

A strong, pale hand forced him to stop, catching his wrist and holding it tight. Naruto glanced up at Gaara, biting his lip and trying to stop his tears as the water rushed down around them, drenching Gaara's clothing and plastering his hair to his head, smearing his eyeliner--

The water stopped abruptly as Gaara turned it off. The redhead stepped out of the shower, still holding Naruto's arm, and grabbed a towel. He wrapped it around the blonde and easily picked him up. Naruto avoided the dark, almost worried green of those penetrating eyes.

He looked up again when he was dropped unceremoniously on the couch. Gaara sat down fluidly next to him, stripping off his wet shirt.

Naruto curled up tightly in his towel and stared at the red upholstery. The living room was gloomy in the darkening afternoon light, and Gaara's still wet skin gleamed white in it, his lean muscles and sharp bones throwing stark shadows.

The redhead turned slightly, reaching out towards Naruto's ear. The moment his fingers grazed the red stone o the earring, Naruto flinched and nearly bolted again, eyes wide and locked on the tatami. His tears started again. "I'm sorry...I'm dirty, you shouldn't touch me now."

He felt Gaara's eyes on him as he began crying in earnest again, his whole body shuddering with each new sob.

Cool, firm hands slid the thick towel off of his body, and Naruto shivered as Gaara pushed him down on the sofa, tracing his cuts with firm pressure.

Slowly his tears subsided, and he watched Gaara's eyes follow his hands, tracing the kanji hungrily. The redhead was warm above him, and all Naruto wanted to do was cuddle up into him.

Instead, when Gaara began leaning down to kiss him, the blonde shook his head and said, his voice still hoarse from crying, "Don't, Gaara... I really am dirt—Shukaku, he touched me, and I _liked_ it."

The green eyes flashed and grew bright and ice-cold. Gaara stood up in one swift, dangerously furious movement, his muscles controlled and tense.

Naruto curled back up, drawing his knees to his chest. And began crying again.

Gaara hissed coldly, "You're lying."

Oh, how Naruto wished he _was _lying.

"No... he made me--he made me want it."

Gaara snarled in rage and Naruto whispered, "It just... hurts, you know. When you touch me and I know I love you and then—and then these guys come... and it _hurts_, when he touched me it hurt so bad, because it wasn't you and I only ever liked it with you... and when Mizuki--" he swallowed hard.

Gaara was snarling softly under his breath. "Shut up." he hissed.

Naruto looked up at him, straight into those ice-cold eyes.

Gaara's eyes darkened and he glanced down at the floor.

Naruto asked softly, brokenly, "Do you have any idea what it felt like... when Mizuki... when he told me to tell him I –loved him? It hurt so badly..."

Gaara was still looking at the floor, and his voice was ice as he said, "And, did you?"

Naruto's eyes widened sharply and his lips curled into a soundless snarl. He stood, swung his wrist back, and slapped Gaara hard on his left cheek. "_No!"_

Gaara stood frozen, his face turned to one side, eyes almost wide.

Naruto panted heavily with exertion, calming down slowly and realizing what he'd just done.

Oh shit.

Oh _shit_.

He took a slow step back and watched, scared beyond all coherence, as Gaara's face slowly turned back towards him.

His eyes were _glowing white_.

Naruto gasped sharply and started to speak, say something, anything as an apology, but then Gaara grabbed his hips and tossed him back onto the couch with casual ease. He leaned down over him and his eyes glowed brighter as he spread Naruto's thighs and whispered, "_Mine_."

Naruto screamed hoarsely as he thrust into him fully—Gaara was large enough that it usually took him _at least _three strokes to get himself in to the hilt...!--and his hands dug into Gaara's back. Gaara panted harshly and gripped his hips tightly, thrusting again.

"Mine..."

Naruto whimpered. "Yesss... yes, yours..."

Gaara thrust again and struck his prostrate with all of his almost superhuman strength. Naruto nearly screamed his throat raw, arching hard up into the man and trying to spread his legs wider. "All mine..."

Naruto nodded helplessly, mouth open in a silent shriek as the redhead thrust harder. "_Naru—_mine..."

With each fiery, perfect stroke, Gaara proclaimed his ownership, and with each thrust Naruto wondered how much more of the burning pleasure he could stand , Gaara's firm body hard over and inside him, his breathing harsh and his voice gasping out "Mine" rhythmically and so... desperately...

A thrust so hard that it took all of Naruto's strength to even stay conscious slammed him into the couch, and Gaara snarled the word, his eyes locking onto the blonde's and his mouth slightly open, sweat slicking his skin and his breath coming in heavy pants.

Naruto climaxed with a helpless, choked whimper, burying his face in Gaara's chest and with the last of his strength murmuring, "Yours, Gaara..."

Gaara's mouth pressed hard into Naruto's skull and he groaned, the sound muffled, "Mine...!" as warm slick liquid filled Naruto and slid out of him along with Gaara's cock.

Naruto was crying so hard his vision was blurred, and he lay collapsed into the upholstery, panting and hiccuping. He didn't know w_hy _he was crying... he was just so happy...

Gaara's eyes were the dark, almost warm green that Naruto loved so much, and he leaned down and murmured into Naruto's ear, "You're _my_ waif... no one can hurt you aside from me." The statement was delivered in a totally emotionless voice, but...

Naruto smiled through the last of his tears and sniffled, "Love you too, Gaara..."

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Hrm. Iffy.

Oh well.

Next chap: More ItaSasu confrontationage, as well as some illicit KabuSasu...!!!!!!!!!!!!

Till then, and pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease review, you guys!!!!


	10. Chapter 10

Hey all!!!!!!!

I apologize profusely for the delay. My Internet was down, among other things... Thanks so much for all your reviews... they kept me alive, I swear.

Randomness: Rhapsody, "Warrior of Ice".

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Dusk Boulevard

Whore Street was a-bustle with the night trade. The trannies were laughing down the street, and the silhouettes of the Lolitas were clear against a backdrop of red, yellow and orange lights. The car tires screeched in the weary drizzle that obscured the stars with a swath of gray, and sultry whispers and hissed insults sounded from the whores bent over open car windows.

The customer looked over at him, almost annoyed . He hefted a flabby white arm and forked over a few chips, muttering in his gravelly, smoke-rough voice, "What was wrong today?"  
Sasuke shrugged silently, squinting out the rain-streaked windshield and feeling bearably numbed by his bottles of vodka. He stuffed the chips into his pants pocket and slid out of the truck and onto the wet pavement, giving the tub of lard a half-nod before slamming the door.

He lit a cigarette and stepped towards the Konoha, his skin moistening with sticky rain. The fat guy always took him just a few meters down the curb from the shop, not driving out to the parking lot.

Sasuke reached the glaring sphere of pink under the awning and stood just under its end, smoking slowly. Shino and Kiba were asleep in their corner, and Akamaru's head was peeking out from under the blanket, his wet snout wrinkling from time to time in sleep. Muffled cries came from inside the Konoha—Kakashi and Iruka had locked themselves in about an hour earlier.

He leaned down, wincing as the deep ache in his ribcage from smoking too much pressed hard against his throat, and picked up the half-empty vodka bottle. It wasn't really cold out... but the weather was cool enough to make smoking hurt inside.

Sasuke took a deep gulp of vodka.

Everyone except Gai and Shikamaru was off—Gai was being bouncy and explaining his lovelife to a bored tranny, and Shikamaru was working the row of cars at the curb listlessly.

A car door slammed shut somewhere in front of Sasuke's head, and he stared at the cracked concrete beneath his boots. Ino's voice rang out, clear and angry. "ASSHOLE! You're PAYING FOR MY SURGERY, you hear?"

Sasuke looked up. Ino was wincing, her arms wrapped around her chest and her lips twisted in pain. She limped over to the Konoha and slid down to rest heavily on Sasuke's mattress.

Sasuke didn't ask any questions. It was none of his business... and besides, everyone had a bad customer now and then. He offered the vodka bottle and Ino took a savage gulp.

Plus, he simply wasn't interested.

The trial had become too much for him to stand. He had stopped going since the day after Kabuto was ordered to stay away from him. The kids were still with Asuma, and Sasuke tried to visit them as often as he could.

Their hugs and clamping on to him were the only thing Sasuke looked forward to at the moment.

It had now been three days, and the only consolation he'd gotten so far was that Naruto was safe. Temari had told Tenten that the redhead had rescued the idiot yesterday, and the whole Konoha had let out a sigh of relief when the dark-haired girl had passed the news on.

"Sasuke, can I have a cigarette?" Ino asked, her voice hoarse. Her usually impeccable make up was smeared and mussed by tears and bruises, and her hair was tangled and loose in its high ponytail.

He reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved two cigarettes from his almost empty pack, lighting one for himself and passing the other to Ino. The smoke curled in his throat, and he stared at the concrete, ignoring the flashing lights at the edge of his vision.

Damn, he was so... pissed.

Thankfully, Itachi hadn't turned up again. That would've been the very last straw. He probably would've moved to the junkies' corner then.

Seeing Itachi... he shuddered. It had been a shock. All that same old poison and sadism, that extreme... evil. The way Itachi's eyes had taken the Konoha in as if they were all no better than the slime on his shoe—that is, if Itachi would ever tolerate any slime on his shoe.

It had brought those years back when all that Sasuke had heard was how great Itachi was, how much he should try to be like him...

Sasuke shuddered a little more and retrieved the vodka from Ino, taking a big gulp and pushing all the unwanted memories away. Ino was rocking slowly back and forth, arms still wrapped around her abdomen. Her face was screwed up into a grimace, and after a few moments she gasped, "Okay, this is too much, I need to get to the first aid place on Heron. See you, Sasuke."

Sasuke nodded slightly and watched her stagger off through the dim, red-flashing night. He stood up after a last gulp of vodka, and made his slow, unwilling way back to the curb. Tenten had just gotten out of a car and was already moving to the next window, and Gai's poor tranny victim had managed to untangle himself from their very onesided conversation and disappear.

Sasuke scanned the line of gleaming cars, automatically checking which ones already had someone sitting in the passenger seat and were only waiting to pull out into the street, and which ones were still empty. His throat hurt, and he stubbed out his cigarette, before going to a dark blue car that had its windows rolled down enticingly.

He leaned in over the glass, and said, "You looking for some company?" in a drawl that was listless compared even to his usual coldness.

"Only yours." Silver hair gleamed a little in the headlights of a passing car.

Sasuke's heart jumped into his throat, and he muttered, "What—"

Kabuto laughed softly and moved a little, beckoning. Sasuke got into the warmth of the car, frozen. This was... wonderful, of course, but if someone found out, then...

Sasuke had never been a stickler for rules, but there was so much at stake here...

The car was warm and the window slid closed. Kabuto steered them to the parking lot in silence, letting Sasuke's mind work. He was wearing dark, soft-looking clothes, and his glass were gleaming impenetrably in the lights from the street.

When the car stopped, the wheels crunching over gravel, Sasuke muttered, "Why?"

Kabuto reached for him and said huskily, "Why do I need a reason?"

Sasuke bit his lip as hands trailed down his sides, settling on his hips. Kabuto's mouth descended on his, and then they were no longer rational, hands fisted in clothing, tongues grappling, breathing heavy in the car's warmth, legs twisting around each other as Sasuke's pants were forced down and--

"Agh!" Sasuke cried softly, arching into Kabuto's thrust. The man was panting into his collarbone, cock hard and hot inside him, thrusts vibrating through Sasuke's bones and making him feel like he was melting inside.

Sasuke gasped and panted, spreading his legs wider over Kabuto's lap and wrapping his arms around the man's shoulders for leverage. He rocked his hips with the suit's thrusts, cries growing louder as Kabuto's hands gripped him tighter.

Heat was pouring, roiling through him, and Kabuto was panting his name like some religious chant, mouth hot on his neck. The man's shirt was pushed up, and his skin slid sweaty and heaving against Sasuke's as they rocked against each other

Sasuke winced into the man's neck as an especially hard thrust pushed him closer, closer to the brink, and then the next--

"_K—Kabuto_!"

He came hard, whimpering, and Kabuto's hands clamped down like vices on his hips as the suit pulled him down to fill him completely with his shaft and warm liquid slid inside him. Kabuto groaned hoarsely.

They caught their breath slowly, Kabuto's hands tracing absentminded patterns over Sasuke's back; up and down, side to side, and Sasuke had to keep himself from arching into the innocuous touch. The beginnings of a purr vibrated deep in his throat, and he settled a bit deeper into Kabuto's warm torso, ignoring the discomfort in his too widely spread thighs.

He lti a cigarette and ignored the embarrassing mushiness he was indulging in.

After a few minutes, though, he pulled himself together, and they began a vain attempt to untangle themselves from the driver's seat. Sasuke burned the steering wheel in the process, but managed to make it back to the passenger seat halfway unscathed.

He smoked slowly, noting Kabuto's expression out of the corner of his eye. The man looked dangerous in the constantly shifting light, his eyes hidden by his glasses. His hands were hooked loosely, tensely over the steering wheel, and his hair had come undone from his ponytail. The silver strands lay in a thick gleaming blanket over his back. A snarl twisted the man's slender lips.

Sasuke murmured, "I've got to go."

Kabuto turned towards him and nodded slowly. Sasuke felt his eyes on him as he got out of the car, and before he could close the door on the warmth behind him a hand grabbed his wrist and Kabuto pulled him into an awkward kiss, leaning over the passenger seat and pressing Sasuke close.

Sasuke opened his mouth to the man's tongue, unable to keep a moan from escaping as warm hands slid up and down his sides in the cold. He dropped his cigarette and reached blindly with his boot to stub it out, feeling gravel crunch and then not caring much anymore whether he'd killed the cig or not. He reached up and buried his hands in the fall of Kabuto's hair, sighing softly.

Kabuto broke the kiss slowly and chuckled, urging Sasuke back into the car. Sasuke rolled his eyes and clambered back inside, closing the door behind himself. He glanced over at the man, who was sitting expectantly in the driver's seat while the headlights of another car washed over both of them from outside, and then climbed between the front seats to sprawl out on the backseat.

Kabuto watched him. Sasuke grinned slightly, shortly in the dimness of the car and tugged off his coat and T-shirt, spreading his legs.

Kabuto chuckled and moved to join him in the backseat, lips hot on his skin and hips thrusting hard.

Sasuke panted and writhed under him, arms flung up above his head and hands clenched in the upholstery. His muscles were protesting a little against the strain of constantly arching up into the man as he slid back and forth inside him, his panting hot in Sasuke's hair. One elbow was on the uphosltery to support himself, and the other arm had wrapped itself around Sasuke's hips, pressing him farther down.

Sasuke groaned a little and muttered, "Hurry up, I'm about to..."

Kabuto chuckled into his hair and said huskily, "Me too."

Sasuke bit his lip on a scream and arched taut as the heat in his bones flared up, Kabuto's thrusts growing harder and faster and deeper and Sasuke trembling and panting, closer--

"Kabuto—ah..." He gasped, and came so hard that his vision flashed white. There was a sharp sting in his eyes as the red rings contracted and shifted, and he moaned under his breath. Kabuto thrust hard once more, and climaxed with a soft groan.

Sasuke shuddered as warm liquid spilled inside him, and then lay back, relaxing under Kabuto's shuddering, gasping body. He reached up and picked up a strand of silver hair, sliding it between his fingers. More headlights flashed over them, and Kabuto kissed his collarbone.

It was so comfortable, despite the threatening cramps in half his body, lying here with Kabuto warm over him and wet warmth sliding down his thigh, sweat drying on both of them. The car was warmer now, andthe windows had steamed up a little. Sasuke wanted to make a _Titanic _remark, but then he remembered that he'd already done that before.

Kabuto looked up at him. His eyes behind his glasses had a strange, feral look in them. A slightly frightening one. The thin mouth quirked up at the corners and he said, "You were thinking of making a movie joke about the windows, weren't you."

Sasuke shrugged and nodded. He sat up slowly, reaching for his cigarettes and lighting one. Exhaling, he said, "The car?"

"Borrowed it from a friend. For appearance's sake."

Sasuke nodded. Another headlight swept over them, and gravel crunched outside. Voices murmured somewhere. "I have to go."

Kabuto nodded and sat up as well, fastening his pants and rummaging around in the darkness for his shirt. Sasuke pulled on his T-shirt. He looked up when he was finished, and met Kabuto's dangerous eyes. "What?"

"Nothing." The man said, and climbed over Sasuke and back into the driver's seat. Sasuke finished dressing and dropped into the passenger's seat.

There was a short, warm silence, as Kabuto reached over and ran a thumb down Sasuke's cheek. "How are the children?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Okay... sort of. How's..."

The feral, wild gleam in Kabuto's eyes strengthened and he muttered, hands hooked over the steering wheel again, "It's not looking good. Tayuya is shredding me."

Sasuke looked out the window into shifting darkness and swallowed hard, inhaling deeply of his cigarette. He nodded shortly. "I..."

No. He wouldn't say it. He leaned over and stubbed out his cigarette.

Kabuto chuckled softly and his hand slid into Sasuke's hair. "I don't think I could stand it either."

Sasuke bit back a smile. He leaned over and placed an almost chaste kiss on Kabuto's collarbone, where the collar of the shirt was crumpled and the man's skin smelled of sex.

He slid out of the car and closed the door slowly, reluctantly. He turned halfway to watch Kabuto's face as he set the car in reverse and backed out of the spot. The gravel crunched, and another car drove into the parking lot, headlights gleaming over Kabuto's car's sleek paint and briefly illuminating the man's face.

It was pretty cold.

Sasuke followed the vehicle with his eyes until it had left the parking lot. He took out a cigarette, noting that his hands were shaking again and cursing softly. He lit it and inhaled as deeply as he could, holding the smoke in until the ache in his lungs grew too much to bear.

He exhaled slowly, watching the smoke curl lazily into the cold air, then muttered softly, "...Fucking—love you, Kabuto..."

He began to step towards the parking lot exit, but a cold, icily familiar voice stopped him.

"Little brother."

Sasuke spun around, heart pounding.

Itachi stepped out of the shadows at the wall of the parking lot. He was wearing the same sort of dark, featureless suit Sasuke had seen him in before, and the red wheels in his eyes glowed in the darkness. He was smiling, a smile that made Sasuke's blood run cold.

He hadn't heard him, had he? "What are _you _doing here, asshole?"

Itachi chuckled softly and stepped a bit closer. It took all of Sasuke's willpower not to turn and run. He couldn't stand seeing him—it brought so much... _pain_ back...

"Well... it seems you've forgotten. Our conversation wasn't truly finished last time. Believe me, if it had been, I wouldn't be here. I have better things to do than watch you spread your legs and moan for the dregs of society."

As usual, it was delivered in a pleasant, emotionless tone, and Sasuke closed his eyes to keep calm. "Shut up, Itachi. I really..." he trailed off.

"Yes?" Itachi said, looking bored. He brushed imaginary lint of his suit sleeve.

Sasuke inhaled deeply of his cigarette and hissed, "What do you _want_, for fuck's sake? Or—no. Just—fuck off. We have nothing to say to each other. "

Itachi laughed cruelly and murmured, "I think we do."

Sasuke inhaled smoke. "About what? You've got your goons, I've got this here. So fuck off. I don't think we need each other or have anything to talk about, because frankly, those 'happy' family days are _over_. And it's a good thing, too."

Itachi looked at him, a little furrow between his perfect eyebrows. "Little brother, you smoke too much."

Sasuke hissed, temper snapping, and took a step forward. He exhaled his smoke straight into Itachi's face, and his brother took a surprised step back. "Look, Itachi. Just leave me alone. I've got enough--" he stopped short.

"You've got enough what? Trouble? I can help you."

"No thank you. I don't need _your _help."

"Why are you so hostile, little brother?"

Sasuke stared. "Why—why--_why _I'm so _hostile_? Are you _serious_?"

Itachi gave him a cold look. "I'm always serious, Sasuke."

Sasuke shook his head disbelievingly and opened his mouth to start on a tirade, but gravel crunched behind him and lights gleamed on the concrete wall behind Itachi.

"Yo, Sasu-sweetheart! I've been looking for you everywhere tonight! Get in, get in!"

Sasuke half-turned. A reddish, beat-up old car had pulled up behind him, the driver's seat window rolled down to the cold. The familiar face of one his most regular customers, one of those happy-go-lucky singer guys who spent their nights and days playing live in cheap bars, beamed out at him. He'd gotten a new piercing, it seemed; Sasuke didn't remember the third ring in his eyebrow from last time.

Sasuke didn't even glance back at Itachi before saying, "You've got money this time?"

The man winced. "Yeah... sorry about last time. I was broke. But I've got enough now. Five cel!"

Sasuke nodded and stubbed out his cigarette, moving towards the door. He reached the handle, but a firm grip on his shoulder stopped him.

"Itachi! Let me go!" Sasuke hissed.

His brother pulled him back. "No." He looked down at the customer and said icily, "Sasuke is indisposed at the moment."

The client's eyes widened. "Wow. Okay... I'll leave, I'll leave! Just don't kill me!"

The car screeched off, leaving Sasuke furious in Itachi's grip. After a few seconds, he hissed, voice trembling, "Get your hands _off_ me!"

Itachi obliged. Sasuke took a few angry steps away from him, and said, "Just... leave me alone. I don't want anything to do with you. You've fucking screwed me up for life, you know that? I bet you're even proud of it. Fucking psycho."

He didn't wait to see Itachi's reaction, walking fast to the exit of the parking lot.

The lingering warmth from Kabuto's presence was all gone now, and he needed something to dull the pain of that realization. Vodka would do the job.

°

The empty walls of the warehouse echoed with footsteps on concrete, and Kisame looked up from the glowing array of screens in front of him, craning his neck to see who'd come in.

The warehouse was dimly lit, a few lights standing around the array of monitors a few yards away where Sasori and Deidara were sitting, deep in conversation or something like it. Deidara was sitting on the desk that held the monitors, bouncing up and down like a little kid, and Sasori was staring concentratedly at his screens.

Kisame recognized the dangerous, graceful movements of the person before they'd come close enough to distinguish anything by the blue glow of his computers. "Hey, Itachi." he greeted carefully.

Itachi didn't acknowledge him, moving instead towards one of the two silent, dark computer tables—his own—and pressing a few keys. The monitors lit up one by one in a dark, ominous crimson, lines of black text scrolling fast. Kisame watched the other man lean over the keyboard and type something with fast, precise keystrokes. The center screen lit up brightly in blue, and text scrolled fast on it. Kisame saw Itachi's shoulders tense.

He stood up and stood next to the other man, scanning the screen as well. A picture among the mass of text caught his eye, a boy smoking on the street, and Kisame remembered the black eyes of the kid lying among the clothes and the cold, bottle and cigarette in hand-- "Hey Itachi, that's your brother!"

The other man didn't answer for a bit, until, "It is, isn't it?"

Kisame looked at him, brow furrowed. "Yeah..."

Something was wrong here.

Itachi straightened and tapped a key. The document jumped back to the beginning, and Kisame read, _Kabuto Yakushi—ID Nr. 356841_.

Itachi turned to him. His perfect hair and skin glowed in the reddish-blue light of the screens, and his eyes were beyond black, only a few swirls of red piercing through. "Kisame."

"Yes?"

"Contact Heijun at the Justice Department. I need him to fake something for me. And Kinna over in the Force, she needs to exchange a few records. And then, call up Judge Shirosok, he'll have to change his witnesses."

Kisame nodded slowly, knowing better than to ask what this was all about. He went back to his own terminal and picked up his mobile phone, typing queries for numbers and adresses into his computer.

Deidara was laughing behind him, and Sasori snarled something. Kisame just rolled his eyes and got to work, glancing surreptitiously over at Itachi.

The other man was staring at the ID document, and Kisame recognized the picture of the man's younger brother in the center of the screen.

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ALL RIGHT.

Fucking finally.

PLEEEEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!


	11. Chapter 11

Dusk Boulevard

Haku tugged his ragged red coat a bit tighter around himself, shivering. He exhaled a cloud of smoke and muttered, "Damn... I wouldn't be able to stand having to sleep out here like you do. Don't you hate it?"

Tenten, curled up around a glossy magazine next to Ino who was wearing an agonized expression and sitting in a very stiff position, said nonchalantly, "It's not that bad, once you get used to it... I mean, you just have to know where to get extra blankets."

It _was_ pretty cold, but for the whores who'd lived at the Konoha for a while this was nothing. The wind was a mere breeze, cold but not slicing, and the sun was almost out, hidden only behind a slight veil of clouds. Whore Street was asleep still; it was only around three-thirty, and the apartment houses had their windows open to the fresh air, a couple of kids even playing soccer in the deserted street. Two housewives were gossiping loudly, leaned out of their windows and smoking, in the building right next to the Konoha. Loud music played somewhere in the direction of the bus stop, and Ichiraku's was deserted, the transvestites still asleep in their mess of blankets and clothes.

Shikamaru was listening to music and staring up at the awning, and Kiba was playing solitaire in the girls' nest, Shino crouched over his myriad glass containers of creepy crawlies. Haku and Naruto had joined the others in the pink, fluffy and soft nest.

Naruto nodded, grinning, "I think someone got frostbite once, one of the trannies... but otherwise we all got used to it pretty fast."

Haku smiled at him, turning a little and looping slim, long arms around the blonde's shoulders. "I'm so glad to see you, Naruto! You have no _idea_ how worried we all were!"

Tenten nodded fervently in agreement, and even Ino muttered, "Really."

Naruto smiled. "Thanks, guys." He shifted a little. He was sore all over, but pleasantly so. He'd been back home for three days now, and Gaara was more protective and violent than ever, in a wonderfully sexy and... nice... way. Anko had been pissed at him for not showing up, but hadn't even waited for an explanation before ordering him to hurry up and clean. Genma and Raidou hadn't even noticed his absence.

Ino groaned softly, and Tenten sighed, sitting up and putting an arm around her shoulders. "Man, that asshole really fucked you over, didn't he? Are you taking your pain killers?"  
Ino nodded weakly. "Yeah... but hell, they're not helping much. I'm gonna go get a pregnancy test, too... the asshole didn't even use a condom half the time."

"Shit..." Haku said softly. "But aren't you on the hormone shots?"

Ino nodded. "Yeah, duh, but we all take the cheapest kind, and it like has a failure chance of ten percent... I'm not taking any risks."

Naruto shook his head. "Damn. I didn't know about the ten percent thing... are the good shots that expensive?"  
Tenten laughed bitterly. "Hell yeah. One of those costs like seventy cel. It's fucking stupid."

Haku looked at Naruto, arms still wrapped around his shoulders, smelling of smoke and perfume and cinnamon shampoo. His smooth pale skin glowed in the gray light. "I never knew that... no wonder the bosses on Slum are always so pissed when the doc comes to give the shots. If they cost so much...!"

Naruto winced. "Yeah." He peered a bit closer at the beautiful teen, whose carefully arranged fall of dark hair had shifted for a moment. "Wait. Haku!"

He brushed aside the soft locks of midnight-dark silk, and whistled low in his throat. "Shit, man... Was that Zabuza?"

Haku pulled his head away and raised a hand to the mottled mass of a bruise that disfigured the left side of his face, sighing, "Yeah... I was kind of out of it the past few nights."

Tenten's eyes widened. "That looks like it hurt."

Kiba peered up from his solitaire for the first time, and said, "Wow... yeah."

Haku laughed softly and nudged Naruto, winking at the blonde with his uninjured eye. "Oh, come on, we've had worse, haven't we, Naru-chan?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah... but that doesn't make it okay...!"

Haku shrugged, eyes sad. "Well. Who said it was okay? I take it because I love him, and I can't help it that he likes his alcohol." His face brightened all of a sudden, and he said, "Oh, guess what?"

"What?" Naruto asked, pulling the blanket he was sharing with Haku a bit closer around his shoulders.

"Kin's dead! Seems she got some bad 'knife, and overdid it. Jiraiya's angry beyond belief, he's been beating anyone and everyone all week long, even got started on one of Zabuza's girls, you know... Misa? Zabuza was furious."

"Damn... not a big surprise though, that girl was really into all her drugs, I was always just waiting for the news."

Tenten had immersed herself in her magazine again, not interested in Slum gossip, and Ino was hovering on the edge of sleep, Kiba absorbed in his game.

Haku lit a cigarette and said, "Where's Sasuke, anyway?"

"At his lover dude's trial, probably." Tenten answered absently. Then she looked up, gasping, "Oh man... remember those guys that came here? His brother and them?"  
"Sasuke's _brother_ was here? Damn, I missed out! What was he like?" Naruto asked eagerly.

Haku snorted—even that looked beautiful, coming from him—and blew smoke into the cold air. "A real... asshole. He was insulting Sasuke about this here," he gestured around the Konoha, "and... I don't know... he just was an asshole. Especially because Sasuke's having so many problems just now...""

Naruto looked worried. "Problems? Is the trial that bad?"

"Seems his lover dude's ex-wife got some kind of restraining order put on the guy, and Sasuke can't see him anymore... what a bitch." Tenten said.

"_Shit!_" Naruto muttered. "He must've been fucked."

Haku frowned, anger lighting up his large dark eyes. "Yeah, he was, and then right when he was all depressed about _that_, the brother came along and started insulting him."

"But he did look like sex made human," Tenten said. "Seems to run in the family."

Naruto wrinkled his nose. "Assholes are assholes, no matter how good they look."

There was a round of silent agreement, and Haku ground out his cigarette. Then he stretched luxuriously, slim body arching, and said, "Are you okay, Naruto? Because last time something like this happened..."

Naruto's eyes darkened, and he forced a grin. That had been hell, the voices and touches that he'd felt but weren't real... "No, it's okay now. Because... uh, because, well, Gaara's been really nice."

"Nice? As in how?" Kiba asked, reshuffling his cards.

Naruto shrugged a little, grinning honestly now. Gaara had almost been... clingy... these last three days. As soon as he came home, they'd have sex, and after eating, Gaara would pull him close and just... sit. Naruto would usually fall asleep—he'd been really tired since coming back home—and wake up hours later with Gaara gone and a sense of lingering warmth.

"Just...nice." he said softly. Haku laughed softly, and lit a new cigarette before setting off toward the bus station.

It was utterly comfortable and...wonderful, even though that sounded so sappy. All the dark dim warmth of the apartment and the creaking of the tatami in the night—Naruto had almost totally forgotten Shukaku's weird statements and the disgusting glow of the yellow shots.

°

"That's _him_? But he's so pretty...!"

"So?"  
"Uh.. I don't know, I was just expecting something else, I guess."

"Hmph."

Sasuke rolled his eyes in disgust and glared a bit harder down into the courtroom. Kabuto's family had taken to sitting behind him now, and Tayuya's cronies had taken a row further down. It seemed a Kabuto-relative that hadn't been here before had just arrived. She had an irritating sugary voice.

"So.. he's the one Kabuto-san was..."

"Yes." The matriarch of the Yakushi clan was an impressively dour and cold woman. She showed absolutely no emotion whatsoever about the situation, and treated all her relatives with the exact same amount of bitter annoyance. No wonder Kabuto could be so frightening. She didn't sound like a mother who'd raise a child into a psychologically healthy person.

There was a short pause down in the middle of the room; the judge was going over papers. Sasuke guessed they were the school records of the kids; the last argument Kabuto's lawyer had offered up had been something about how they were doing better in school with him or some shit.

He shifted; the heater was turned on high in here. It had been ages since he'd been in a room heated this well; private homes and shops had a limit on how much gas they could use in a month, but it seemed like the State buildings were exempt from the conservation guidelines. Not a big surprise; was there _anything _the State wasn't exempt from?

The tall pale man who sat with Tayuya's clique turned and caught his eye, and Sasuke cast a glance back towards the proceedings before nodding slightly and standing up. The annoying relative gasped like a three-year-old, and Sasuke glanced over at her. She was one of those boring students, with the same silver hair as Kabuto, the same grayish-green eyes and lean build—but wearing the most hideously lacy and crocheted jacket, skirt and tights.

Sasuke shuddered a little and made his way out of the rows of seats, stepping in line with the pale man. They walked out of the stuffy warmth of the building, and hurriedly lit up their cigarettes in the shocking cold. Well, no, it wasn't _that _cold. But from the warmth to the gray outside and the biting wind—Dusk Boulevard wasn't wind-protected at all—was a bit of a shock.

Cars screeched past them on the massive eight-laned expanse of the street, and gray light made Sasuke's eyes hurt. The two of them smoked and stood in silence, watching the traffic streak past. The man ignored Sasuke as usual, eyes distant, and Sasuke just tried his best to be optimistic. Kabuto hadn't visited Whore again since that surprising, nice late-night appearance the day before the last, but the incident had raised Sasuke's spirits enough to be able to come to the trial.

But the man had been right; Tayuya was shredding him, and the only thing that had kept Sasuke from getting two extra bottles of vodka or gin yesterday had been Naruto's bouncy visit to Whore and the relieving fact that Itachi hadn't turned up again so far.

He finished his cigarette and went back inside, leaving the man still smoking and staring in the cold. Sasuke walked slowly down the quiet, warm halls of the building, ignoring the suited men and women coming and going around him.

Kabuto would have to win, though. Sasuke didn't think he'd be able to stand it if the man continued to be separated from him like this. He stopped short.

He'd admitted it, hadn't he? Just now?

He'd admitted it to himself, that he needed the man.

Hell, he already knew he loved him, but... _needing_ him was something totally different. It implied a sort of dependence that Sasuke didn't think he liked the idea of. Wincing as his eyes twinged, the red in them freaking out again, he continued walking.

Well... it didn't help him much to agree that he was dependent on Kabuto. It wouldn't change the outcome of the trial.

He somehow wanted another cigarette. Biting back a hiss of annoyance, he pushed open the tall doors to the courtroom and stalked back to his seat in front of the irritating student girl. The kids were no longer taken to the trial; Asuma had prevailed against both Tayuya and the Yakushi-matriarch's protests, and most likely he was just taking them to the zoo or something inane like that. He liked the children, a lot, and they enjoyed living in his smoky, messy apartment enough to forget about their father every now and then. Asuma had even taken a week of sick days for them.

Sasuke missed the way Tsume would cling to him and Aki watch him, but apart from the few times he went to visit them, there was no way to see them. Asuma got along well with him, but it was difficult timewise and workwise, and now that Sasuke was sitting in on the trial again...

He looked down into the room, catching Kabuto's eye as the man turned and gave him a slight grin. Sasuke looked away, hiding his own smile. Even in times like these he saw no reason to turn into mush every time the possibility arose. That would just be embarrassing.

As usual, it seemed as though things were going badly for Kabuto. The judge had finished looking through the papers from earlier, and his face was stern as he spoke and asked some questions of whoever was the witness just now. Sasuke blended it out, focusing on Kabuto's broad shoulders and back in the gray suit, watching the way the man's hair fell silkily in his ponytail.

The pale man Sasuke went smoking with returned, and a few heads turned to watch as he walked to his seat and sat down. Otherwise the room stayed silent, aside from Tayuya's lawyer and the witness.

Because of the quiet, the door opening always caused Sasuke to glance over. When he heard the hiss of oiled hinges again, he looked over in irritation, wondering whether someone had had to go to the bathroom again or just wanted to be annoying.

He froze.

The four black-suited men walked in a sort of haphazard line down into the room, the short, red-haired one glowering evilly as the taller blonde whispered nonstop into his ear, the burly, tousle-haired man walking a bit to the right and a few steps behind the one at the front.

Itachi.

He was looking as icy and composed as ever, eyes pure black and focused straight in front of himself.

Sasuke stood up slowly, following their progress into the room with shocked, pained eyes. He vaguely realized that people were muttering and whispering in the seat rows, and that the lawyers were speaking in shocked, loud voices as the men casually walked onto the floor.

It all looked very surreal, and Sasuke wondered whether he'd fallen asleep and was having a nightmare. Instead of waking up, though, he caught Kabuto's equally confused gaze. Just then, Tayuya screamed, "Hey, shouldn't you be calling for order?" and Kabuto's eyes flicked back to the events on the floor.

The judge pursed his wrinkled lips and said, "_I _am the judge here, Miss. And _I_ will call for order precisely when I feel like it." With that, his black, beady eyes turned to Itachi. And he seemed to wait, expecting something. He was bribed!

Sasuke stared down at Itachi. Had he... bribed the judge? But why? And how had he found out about this?

Tayuya spluttered indignantly, cursing. Her lawyer seemed as nonplussed as she was, and Kabuto's had given up, sitting back down next to the silver-haired man. Tayuya began screaming around again, nearly incoherent, and at a nod from the redhead the long-haired blonde man detached himself from the group of suits and sauntered over to the pink-haired woman's table. He sat down on the white surface, eyes widening a bit as he stared in fascination into the deep cleavage of her beige sheath of a dress. The redhead, eyes furious, hissed, "_Idiot!"_

The blonde man seemed to wake up, and in the shocked to silent room his voice seemed very loud as he grinned and asked casually, "You like knives, yeah?"

Tayuya fell abruptly quiet.

Sasuke hissed. What was Itachi up to? The room erupted into horrified whispering and frightened murmurs, cloth rustling everywhere as the spectators shifted in unease. He heard the girl from the Yakushi clan, the annoying student in the frumpy lace, gasp and say, "That man looks like... the boy! What..."

Others were murmuring about danger and whether they should leave, and Tayuya's clique had awoken from their stupor, muttering darkly and harshly to each other. Sasuke ignored the sudden weight of a whole courtroom full of eyes on him, flicking back and forth between Itachi and him. He stared down into the room, fear tightening his belly.

Itachi gestured to the redhead, who handed him a sheaf of official-looking papers. "I am Sasuke Uchiha's legal guardian, and I have the papers here that show him to have turned eighteen last February. The main charge against Kabuto Yakushi is thus invalid."

°

One could have heard a needle drop in the complete silence that followed the tall, dark-haired man's proclamation, and Kabuto turned sharply from staring at Sasuke in confusion, to stare at the man instead.

He stood calmly in the center of the floor, one hand tucked into a pocket and the other holding those bluish papers. The spiky-haired man behind him was casually oiling a menacing-looking gun, and the redhead was glaring daggers at the blond, who was grinning threateningly at Tayuya and her lawyer.

Kabuto stood slowly, watching the judge. The dour little man wasn't surprised by the declaration. He had been bribed. Not an uncommon occurrence on Dusk Boulevard, of course—but considering the judge's paygrade, and that of Tayuya's lawyers... it had taken a lot of money or threatening. And Kabuto had no idea who on his side had that sort of power. Sasuke surely didn't, and Kabuto was well-paid but not enough for that...

As the whole courtroom watched, the judge waved a hand and the bailiff reached to take the sheaf of papers from the tall man in the center of the floor.

As if the action broke a spell, Tayuya's shrill voice shattered the silence. "What the fuck? The slut's no more than fucking fifteen! There's no way in fucking hell that he's eighteen!"

The tall, lean man with the longish dark hair turned slightly, and Kabuto tensed. He would have recognized those eyes anywhere, the exotic tilt and the narrow almond shape. But unlike Sasuke's, this man's gaze was pure, lightless black, a dangerous, deceptively quiet sort of color. He handed the papers over with a short, tense shift of slender muscle, and then focused again on Tayuya. She hadn't quieted down yet.

"This isn't fucking right! What the hell do you think you're doing, taking those papers? They're fake! FUCKING FAKE!" She stormed out of the reach of the dangerous-looking blond man and towards Kabuto, eyes blazing and hair mussed in rage. She made it within two steps of Kabuto and her hands had almost reached his face, arced into dangerous-looking claws, when the tall Sasuke-lookalike—he even had the same high, sharp cheekbones and pale skin—turned back to the judge, who had been boredly looking through the sheets of blue paper, too obviously knowing the outcome of this all. The man nodded slightly towards Tayuya's screaming self, and the judge waved an uninterested, wrinkled hand.

Despite the extreme confusion of the situation—the seat rows were rustling in outrage again—Kabuto couldn't help but smirk slightly as a pair of burly security men gripped Tayuya's struggling, shrieking body and restrained her, momentarily quieting her down in shock.

Kabuto's lawyer had long given up on making any sense of this, and was shuffling his papers around for lack of anything better to do.

The bailiff shifted and nodded up at the wrinkled little judge. The other man shrugged slightly and said in his bored, scratchy voice, "This case would have been resolved today anyway—with this new material, I suppose we can close--"

Tayuya yelled, "What're you thinking, you overfed asshole! This kid isn't fucking eighteen--"

Another nod from the tall dark-haired man, and the two muscular security guys didn't even wait for the judge's order before easily dragging her out of the room. More whispers erupted among the onlookers. In the center of the floor, the four men stood unmoved, and the Sasuke-lookalike was smiling slightly, cruelly.

In an incredibly surreal moment, the judge spoke, almost timidly, gray eyes focused on the black eyes of Sasuke's relative. Kabuto could barely register his words—something about acquittal and release and—

Amazing...

He was still digesting the judge's words when the room erupted into amazed babble, a few gasps and cries of outrage.

"What?! How can that--"

"The judge's been bribed!"

"Holy shit--"

He turned slightly and caught Sasuke's red-spinning eyes. The boy was almost smiling, half out of his seat in shock and happiness.

This was going much too fast. Kabuto watched, still frozen, as the judge stood up and casually started packing up. The blonde man who had threatened Tayuya was advancing wickedly on her lawyers, and out of the corner of his eye Kabuto registered the redhead stalking over and slamming the other man's head into the desk. The reply, a yell of "_Ow_, yeah?", started him out of his stupor, and he stepped out from behind his desk, turning to look up at Sasuke.

The seat rows were emptying of people, and Kabuto saw his mother hurrying towards the exit. It seemed the spectacle was over for them. Not that he minded.

Sasuke was standing fully now, and he stood a bit uncertainly in the aisle between the seat rows, the last few people in the audience walking past him still talking in shocked tones.

Kabuto bit back a smile, still caught in surprise. He beckoned slightly, and the kid frowned a little, before making his way towards the man. He stopped in front of him, and red-gleaming eyes met his, crimson spinning wildly on a background of deepest ebony. He looked beautiful in the mellow warmth of the courtroom, cheeks slightly flushed, mouth curved in the lightest hint of a smile.

Sasuke was wearing a long-sleeved, V-necked black shirt that clung to his smooth long muscles and his slender curves, displaying a flat expanse of pale taut belly. His loose, ragged dark jeans hugged the narrow bones of his hips teasingly, tight around the lean length of his thighs and then loose over his shins and the heavy scuffed boots. His hair was wind-mussed and his hands in his pockets, his head tilting slightly, shadowing the dips of his collarbone and the long slim curve of his neck. He was beyond his normal beauty just now, with badly hidden happiness spilling out of his eyes.

Kabuto reached out, settled a hand onto the sharp curve of a hip, pulled the boy's slim form close. He kissed his hair softly, the events of just now finally settling in. Sasuke relaxed into him, a soft sigh pressing his chest closer to Kabuto's. "Fucking hell," the kid murmured.

"Mr. Yakushi?" The cold voice had Sasuke jumping away from Kabuto, a furious glare in his eyes.

The tall, black-suited man who had Sasuke's exotic eyes held out a pale hand, narrow lips unsmiling.

Kabuto looked at him, recognizing a tense coldness in the depths of the empty eyes, and the sort of rage he knew very well from himself in every muscle of the tall body. The man was smaller than Kabuto by a bit, and slimmer. He looked for all the world like a taller, colder version of Sasuke. If Sasuke was bottled up fury, this man was emotionless.

Sasuke stepped a bit further away from Kabuto, gaze caught on the man. Kabuto didn't let him go, leaving his arm hooked around his waist. "So who are you, exactly?" he asked calmly, watching the cold-eyed man's face.

"This is... my brother." Sasuke said softly, voice warring between cold and confused. "Itachi—what were you thinking?"

Itachi smiled slightly. "Actually, little brother... I wasn't thinking much at all. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Yakushi." With that icy, cryptic statement, he turned and side-stepped them, followed by his three henchmen.

Kabuto watched them make their way to the courtroom exit, biting back anger. This was the man who'd made Sasuke into the emotional wreck he was? Kabuto might have been in love with the kid, but if there was one thing he wasn't, then it was blind. Sasuke had some severe psychological problems—of course, so did Kabuto, but Sasuke's weren't of his own doing, and Kabuto had only had a little help from his mother when it came to his anger problems. Sasuke was scarred in a way that Kabuto could barely comprehend.

Sasuke stepped back into his embrace, and called out, "Itachi!"

The man stopped and turned slightly on the aisle steps, his gang continuing up the stairs. He cocked his head expectantly.

"I'll... call you." The teen said, and Kabuto saw embarrassment in the sullen set of his lips. Itachi just smiled and nodded before stalking out of the room.

Kabuto smiled slightly, brushing aside a slight flare of curiousity and confusion, and slid on his jacket. His lawyer had disappeared somewhere, and the courtroom was empty now except for them and a snoring old lady in the highest rows of seats. He settled his arm over Sasuke's shoulders and said, "Let's get the kids."

Sasuke pressed into him briefly, then aloofly slid out from under his arm. "Hn." he muttered, and reached for his cigarettes in anticipation of leaving the stuffy building.

Kabuto realized slowly, belatedly, that it was all over, and felt the tension inside him become almost painful. He wanted to see his kids, and then...

Then, he would fuck Sasuke. For a long, rough time.

°

Tsume relaxed slowly, large eyes slipping closed. She muttered softly under her breath and turned over in bed, sighing happily. She held the faded brown puppy in one small pyjama-clad arm—even in the days at Asuma's she'd refused to go anywhere without the stuffed animal.

In the next bed, hair glowing silver in the low dim light of the bedside lamp, Aki was half-asleep as well, and Kabuto was pulling the blue blankets up over his son's shoulders. The children's bedroom was dim and warm in the night, and a small nightlamp glowed near the door.

Sasuke watched Kabuto from the doorway, leaning against the frame. His hands were tucked into his pockets, and his belly was warm with the food from dinner—rice and fish and vegetables.

He still felt sort of numb, lost, barely able to register the fact that it was all over... and all because of Itachi. The shock had sort of worn off, but what with the kids and dinner and not enough Kabuto—it still seemed surreal.

Kabuto straightened from leaning over Aki's bed, and his eyes slid to Sasuke in the doorway, his glasses flashing as he stepped towards him. A bright rectangle of warm light fell in the doorway from the corridor, and Kabuto stopped right before he reached the boundary of the glow.

He had loosened his hair from the ponytail he had always worn to the trial, and it fell in silky-looking silver locks to brush his shoulders and slide over the loose fabric of his green sweater. He smiled slightly and stepped closer to the teen, reaching out to tilt up his chin with one warm hand.

Sasuke slid his hands up under the sweater, hooked them into the waistband of the man's jeans. "Fuck me," he muttered, and Kabuto chuckled huskily.

The teen bit back a gasp as Kabuto forced his head up into a deep, hungry kiss, his free hand settling hard at the small of his back. The man pushed him into the corridor and maneuvered the children's bedroom door closed somehow. He pushed Sasuke up against the wall next to the master bedroom door, hands forcing his shirt up and sliding over his skin violently. He arched as a broad thumb found one of his nipples, moaning into Kabuto's mouth. The man pressed him harder against the wall, hand teasing his nipple further, grinding his clothed erection hard into Sasuke's.

Sasuke broke the kiss, panting and flushed. "Bed...now," he managed, before pressing his lips to Kabuto's again. The man laughed into the kiss and slid his tongue distractingly along Sasuke's lips.

They managed it into the bedroom with out falling, and Kabuto broke the kiss, eyes hot and dark behind his glasses. "Get on the bed," he whispered.

Sasuke shivered and obeyed, sitting on the edge of the bed. Kabuto watched him, the room dark and cool—the balcony doors were open to the cold night air,and no lights but the soft glow of the corridor lamps shone in.

Kabuto leaned over him, face pressing into the sensitive curve where Sasuke's neck met his shoulder. He slid his hands into the teen's hair and licked his neck, kissing and sucking on his skin. Sasuke groaned softly and arched, wrapping his arms around the man's neck and falling back onto the mattress. It felt wonderful to be back in this bed, with Kabuto on top of him, mouth wet, hot and demanding on his neck and hands struggling with his clothes.

Sasuke spread his legs, pressing up against the hardness in Kabuto's jeans. The man groaned into his neck, the sound shivering along the teen's wet skin and jolting through him.

They managed to get Sasuke's shirt off, and the man slid further down the length of his body, panting hard against Sasuke's chest and kissing his nipples teasingly before kissing and sucking his way to Sasuke's hips. One of his hands traveled up over the teen's torso to rub hard and almost painfully at his nipples, the other dipping beneath Sasuke's waistband and pulling it down.

Sasuke gasped and bucked into the man, throwing his head to one side and trying to bury his whimpers in the sheets as Kabuto's teeth bit his hipbone and his warm hand rubbed his nipples to achingly hard nubs. He raised his hips slightly to let the man slide his pants down around his thighs, and felt a hot sigh against his abdomen as Kabuto licked his way towards his aching erection. Sasuke buried his hands hard in the man's shoulderblades, begging, "Please..."

Kabuto said huskily into the dip between Sasuke's hip and the first curls of silky black, "Please what?"

Sasuke arched, biting his lips hard on a loud moan as the man's voice sent shivers through his groin and over the sensitive skin of his pelvis. "Please... just... fuck me, dammit..."

Kabuto groaned hoarsely. He sat up between Sasuke's legs and pulled his shirt off, eyes hungry on Sasuke's in the darkness, the glasses glinting. Sasuke whimpered in anticipation as the man began to undo his pants, reaching up to force them down. Kabuto pulled them down to mid-thigh, along with his boxers, and leaned down again, panting, "Get naked, dammit."

Sasuke scrambled out of his pants and muttered shakily, "Fuck me..."

Kabuto shuddered above him, cock hard and leaking against his inner thigh, teasingly close, so close... Sasuke moaned plaintively, helplessly, and spread his legs, hooking them easily over Kabuto's shoulders. He buried one of his hands in Kabuto's hair, reaching down with the other one to ease Kabuto into himself—but the man was faster, grasping his hips roughly and forcing himself in with a deep, shivering groan.

Sasuke arched taut, the hand in Kabuto's hair fisting in the silver strands and his other clawing at the sheets beneath him. He shrieked helplessly, losing control at the feeling of the thick, hot shaft, fully inside him in one stroke—it was painful for lack of preparation, but the pure unadulterated _sensation_ of being filled beyond belief was enough to make his cock ache for release.

Kabuto buried his face in Sasuke's neck, turned to let to the teen arch and writhe and scream into the sheets, and thrust hard. He panted harshly with each movement, their bodies slapping against each other wetly and Sasuke's muscles straining and tensing as he tried to catch his breath between moans and cries of pleasure. Kabuto's hands were bruising on his hips, and he was biting into Sasuke's skin in a vain attempt to keep his groans from escaping.

Sasuke couldn't think, he could barely breathe—all he registered was the feeling of the heavy, hard pounding inside him, pressing violently against his muscles, chasing pleasure through his veins to blaze in the small of his back, growing and growing--

Kabuto gasped into his neck, half-groaning as his hips slammed into him continuously in an achingly perfect rhythm, "So... tight... I need..."

Sasuke moaned, and felt Kabuto shift, eyes half-closed and blind to anything but the man above him. He cried out in loss as the man slowed his pace and slid out of him carefully. "...no.. Kabut--" He tried to keep the man where he was, pressing his hips down, begging. "No... stay... stay...!"  
Kabuto groaned softly, desperately and slid out of him completely, violently untangling their bodies and using his hold on Sasuke's hips to turn him onto his stomach. Surprised and lost in the sudden absence of pleasure, Sasuke stifled a plaintive cry in the sheets, arching his buttocks up and spreading his thighs. He halfway settled himself on his elbows, pressing his face into the mattress. He needed Kabuto inside him again, and _now_.

He couldn't stifle his scream when he got his wish, hard flesh slamming into him with rough force and Kabuto's voice a hoarse cry above him. "Fuck... Sasuke...!"

Sasuke arched, collapsing into the mattress and supported only by his trembling knees as Kabuto began thrusting too hard, too fast, but somehow it was perfect, beyond anything before--

The man panted heavily, so far inside him that coarse hair brushed against Sasuke's skin, sweat slicking their bodies, the wet sound of them meeting and parting and meeting again with wild force lost in their groans and whimpers and the helplessness of Sasuke's screams.

He usually wasn't a screamer, but—but-- _"Kabuto!_ Oh, fuck—Kabuto...more... deeper—don't, don't, _don't_ stop..."

Kabuto leaned over him, fucked him even harder, his rhythm growing erratic—he supported himself on one arm, moving with even more force inside Sasuke, trying to muffle the worst of the teen's screams with the palm of his other hand.

Sasuke moaned and shook his head to free himself, arching back. Kabuto chuckled breathlessly and used the now free arm to support himself as well, thrusting fast and deep. Sasuke panted hard into the sheets, groaning and sobbing. "I... I can't--"

The pleasure vibrating through him was getting too much, too painful, almost excruciatingly so... "Ah... _ah_... I—Kabuto, more, I almost--"

The man muttered hoarsely, "Sasuke—" He thrust too deep, too hard, too _much_, all at once, and Sasuke couldn't hold himself anymore, shrieking his name into the sheets and clawing at the fabric as his body stiffened and shuddered and pleasure so extreme that his vision disappeared for a moment swept through him.

Kabuto groaned hard, gasping, "So—tight—" He climaxed after the next heavy thrust, and Sasuke whimpered into the sheets as wet warmth spilled inside him and the man's weight settled halfway on him.

They lay quiet for a while, breathing hard.

"'re heavy..." Sasuke grunted, and Kabuto chuckled, rolling off of him and pulling him close. He drew the covers over them, and said, "Love you."

"Hn," Sasuke replied, and they fell asleep entangled and sweaty.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Oh. My. GOD. It's finished. IT'S FINISHED! °does a dance°

Gah. I hated writing this... except the lemon of course.

I am so sorry for all delays, but among other things I was busy moving to Fairbanks, Alaska... It's 2:30 AM and still light out just now. Man it's great. Stupid alcohol and cigarrete laws, though... tch.

Anyway, updates SHOULD be more regular now. Hopefully. This chapter was a big hurdle, should be over it now.

PLEEEEEEEEEASE review!!!!!!

Love you all!!!

°°°asti.


	12. Chapter 12

**HEY **everyone!!!!!!!! I'm back!!! I am so sorry for the delays... you just have to bear with me, I can't help myself... busy and shit.

I'm trying my best, and soon I think I'll be able to regularly reply to reviews, too...!!!!!!

Randomness: Subway to Sally, 'Narben'.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Dusk Boulevard

Sasuke stared at the smooth black plastic of Kabuto's phone, and dialed the number expressionlessly. He pressed the green button to make the call, and pressed the red button to terminate it right afterwards.

"Tch." He hooked the phone back into its stand and lit a cigarette. After watching Sasuke try to make the call for the first time, Kabuto had guessed at how long it would take and had prudently set an ashtray onto the hallway dresser next to the phone. Sasuke had hissed at him, but now the ashtray was littered with at least ten cigarette stubs.

The teenager rubbed a hand over the back of his neck and straightened from his slouch over the dresser. It was raining hard outside, had been raining for the three days since the trial had ended in its nerve wracking way. Kabuto had left half an hour ago for work, with a satisfied sort of grin and a kiss that had made Sasuke smile. The children were awake in the living room, watching something on virtvision.

And Sasuke?

He stared at the small card next to the phone. He didn't need to look at it anymore; he knew the number by heart after all his dialing and hanging up. It said nothing but _Uchiha Itachi _on it, and the ten digits of a cell phone number.

Sasuke had been entertaining the thought of calling his brother ever since the trial had ended, but not until today, after Kabuto had knowingly pulled the card out of his sweater pocket and asked whether he was ever going to actually call the man, had he tried. It was hard, because after all... what could Sasuke say? He had said mostly everything he could, all his anger and his hate vented—what now?

He didn't even know why he cared so much. Sure, Itachi had helped him—though Sasuke couldn't be sure whether he actually had, or whether someone else had engineered the trial—but that didn't make anything 'okay' or 'better'. Sasuke didn't even think of the man as his family anymore—there was very little in the way of a relationship between them, after all, and up till now Sasuke had liked it that way.

He would call, but only because he had said he would. It was all he owed the man; a call.

He scratched an itchy bruise on his hip, wincing a little as he shifted again. He was wearing one of Kabuto's warm sweaters and a pair of the man's boxers, both of which hung loosely off his frame. Sasuke had been spending the nights at Kabuto's since the trial ended, and hadn't even been to Whore, since Kabuto had had the last two days off. They had spent one day fucking and one day with the kids, and today Kabuto had gone to work late... and tonight Sasuke would be back on Whore. He doubted whether the other whores had even heard the news.

Sasuke dialed the number again, taking a deep drag of his cigarette. There was a cramp in his hand from holding the receiver too tightly, but he gritted his teeth on the filter of his cigarette and forced himself to wait through the first four rings. That was the furthest he'd managed it so far...

A sharp click interrupted him over the half-crackling connection, and Itachi's flattened, sharp voice stopped him before he could hang up. "Yes?"

Sasuke swallowed hard. "...Itachi?" He cursed his own weakness after his hesitation.

"Who is this?" His brother sounded almost angry.

"This is Sasuke." He forced himself to speak steadily.

"Sasuke." There was a quick, loud crackle, as if Itachi was moving his phone quickly and violently. "Meet me at three at the Muskrat."

A hard click, then... "BEEP BEEP BEEP BEE--"

Sasuke hung up.

Fuck.

Before he could get angry or apprehensive about a meeting within four hours, Tsume came scurrying down the hallway and jumped. Sasuke managed to drop the phone and hoist her to his hip just in time.

"Sasukeee! Come make Aki shut up!"

The teenager bit back a smile and stubbed out a cigarette, lit another one, then carried Tsume down the corridor and into the living room.

°

It hurt to wake up sometimes, and it was usually too hot and stuffy in this back room of the establishment, but Haku never minded much. He stretched luxuriously, popping a few tense muscles along his spine, and turned to look at the man seated across the room, smoking out of a black crystalknife pipe. The shimmering crystal of 'knife nestled in the bowl of the pipe flared and melted into a charred mess of ashes as Zabuza sucked on the pipe, eyes closed and lips pursed.

Haku stood up slowly, ignoring the aches in his thighs and inner muscles, and pulled on a pair of loose, silky drawstring pants. He tossed his hair over one shoulder and ran a hand through it to loosen the knots.

Zabuza put the pipe down on the desk in front of him, facing the simple, greyish futon—they had never bothered with sheets, and only a pillow and a ragged comforter lay tossed and twisted on the bare matress. After a seemingly long time, he exhaled dark smoke in a long, deep breath, dark eyes watering as he kept himself from coughing. Grabbing the glass of whiskey next to him, he emptied it in a single gulp and looked up to meet Haku's eyes with a hungry gaze.

Haku smiled slowly, saying, "Morning." He slipped into a warm, tight-fitting red sweater and picked his cigarettes up from the floor next to the creaky, sagging bed. He lit one and glanced at the clock on the desk, turned to face the bed.

"Only three in the afternoon?" The teenager laughed. Zabuza cracked a smile, pupils dilated from the crystalknife.

The older man watched as Haku came towardfs him, the slender teen picking up his coat, a fluffy black scarf and a pair of thick socks on the way to the metal desk. Money and empty 'knife baggies, pipe cleaners and a multitude of empty beercans turned ashtrays lay scattered in between crumpled sheets of paper and broken pens, a few lonely hundred-cel chips and empty condom wrappers. Zabuza's well-worn, thick little black book that held all of his business information-drugs, money, whores, profits and losses-lay open in front of him, and his sleek black pistol was tossed casually next to an open beer, softly humming, glowing laster cartridges lying around it.

Haku slipped on the socks and draped the coat and scarf over the desk, leaning over and gesturing at the 'knife pipe. He raised one raven eyebrow in a familiar gesture, and couldn't hold back a pleased smile when Zabuza handed the glittering metal pipe and lighter to him. He dropped the cigarette on an empty beercan and lit the crumpled ash in the bowl of the pipe, watching as it folded in on itself a last fe times, propelling poisonous black smoke into his lungs. The moment Haku exhaled, his heart began speeding up, every sensation becoming more intense—even the brush of his clothes over his skin seemed more shocking.

Haku steadied himself against the desk, focused his vision on one spot as the first and strongest rush passed—all too quickly in his opinion. Zabuza chuckled, watching him.

The teen sighed finally and straightened, wrapping the scarf tightly around his neck. He pulled on his coat halfway, and Zabuza asked softly, dangerously, "Where do you think you're going?"

Haku stopped dressing and froze. Zabuza had seemed to be in a good mood... but then, he was unpredictable on 'knife. Dangerously unpredictable... "I... I was going to go see the Whore Street kids. I'll be back within two hours..." He chanced a look at the man, and sighed in relief when he saw that Zabuza's lips were caught in an amused half-smile. "Don't _do_ that, Zabuza! It's fucking scary."

Zabuza chuckled again and stood up, lighting his own cigarette—he smoked only sometimes, when he felt like it, or when he was drunk or high. Haku had quite a few cigarette burns spread evenly over his body from most of those times. Zabuza liked seeing him in pain, a little too much for Haku's taste, but what choice did he have?

Haku finished shrugging on his coat and let Zabuza kiss him roughly. "Is anybody important planned tonight?"

Zabuza shrugged. He slid a careful palm over a large bruise on Haku's forehead, smiling slightly in reminiscence. Haku bit back a wince and a shudder. He'd been used in a party the last night, and Zabuza had unexpectedly joined in, half-drunk and violent.

The man sat back down and threw Haku a ten-cel chip. Haku smiled gratefully, dropped his cigarette butt into one of the myriad beer cans, and pushed aside the thick, fluffy red blanket that covered the doorway into the back room—Zabuza'd never gotten around to putting in a door. He couldn't wait to see if Sasuke would be at Whore; he'd cut off all communications to them a few days back, and everyone was worried.

°

Sasuke stepped into the cafe from the cold, cold wind and rain outside on Suit Square, and looked around. There were quite a few people there, drinking laced coffees and working on silvery computers, cigarette smoke and vodka heavy in the air. It was a simple place; plastic chairs and tables, simple and unadorned white mugs, a plump, floury woman behind the small glass counter.

Itachi was sitting in a corner, a glass of grog in front of him and wearing sunglasses, which unnerved Sasuke. He had his hair in its usual ponytail, and didn't smile when Sasuke sat down.

Sasuke took off his coat and settled into his chair, avoiding his brother's eyes and looking hard at anything else, sneering at the men and women whose heads had turned at his passage.

His brother. It had been a long time since he'd thought of him like that, easily and subconsciously.

"Bad weather." Itachi offered, the slightest note of hesitation in his voice. But it was extremely slight, and he assumed his cold demeanor immediately again.

Sasuke chuckled, honestly amused. He lit a cigarette. "Shut up. You don't give a fuck about the weather."

"How many cigarettes have you had today?"

"A pack and a half, and I feel great. Don't you fucking dare start on that."

Itachi took a sip of his grog. He called to a waitress and ordered a hot chocolate with whipped cream.

Sasuke bristled. "What the fuck? Hot chocolate?"

Itachi quickly and tensely removed his glasses, his swirling eyes looking straight into Sasuke's. "I did."

The teen almost flinched—almost, before glaring right back at him. "Is this what you fucking needed me to call you for?"

His brother started to say something, when there was a sharp beep from his coat. He produced a thin, expensive-looking phone, and glanced at it impatiently. "Fuck," he hissed under his breath, easy for Sasuke to hear in the close quarters of the plastic table.

Still, he didn't expect his brother to immediately stand up and throw his coat on. A few chips landed on the table and Itachi said, "We'll continue this later."

Sasuke wanted to snarl something, but then he was gone and the waitress was setting a delicious-looking mug of hot chocolate in front of him. He hissed an expletive, ignored her shocked frown, and pulled the mug to himself.

°

It was cold as hell tonight. And annoyingly wet. Shikamaru didn't remember much these days, liking to forget most unimportant things—and almost everything was unimportant to him—but he knew it had been a long, long time since he had been this uncomfortably soaked to the bone.

Whore Street was busy, too, and he had lots of interludes in warm, dry cars, made uncomfortable only by the groaning creatures on top of him. The Konoha was a blurry pink glare in the pouring rain, and Kakashi had taken pity on them and scrounged up a few plastic tarps to keep their blankets off the flooded sidewalk. Shino's bug jars had started floating away from them this morning, and Kiba had been forced to scramble out into the deluge to retrieve them at dawn'S first light. It had been slightly amusing.

Ino had stopped groaning around so much and quit her theatrics. Seemed she was finally getting better—good thing, too, it had been beyond troublesomely irritating. She was shivering a bit further down the sidewalk, jeans clinging tightly to her soaking wet body. The lines and muscles of her long, slim legs were sharply defined, even in the pouring rain. Her high-heeled books were hooked into each other, legs tightly pressed together against the cold, and Shikamaru found himself staring.

It happened, occasionally, that his mind wandered to outlandish things. He usually indulged it—it was a curious pastime, being excited.

Ino had been wearing her last dry jacket, but it had gotten so soaked that she'd thrown a fit and torn it off, leaving her in a by now totally transparent, flimsy t-shirt and a lacy black bra.

It looked quite fascinating.

A car pulled up, and Shikamaru got in without even stating prices. Anything to get out of the rain, and away from that curvy body out there.

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GAH.

Okay. I have had NO internet for MONTHS. FINALLY. I have it DONE. And INTERNET.

I love everyone who's stayed with this and pestered me, and everyone else who read this. I have no intention of giving up on the sexy idea of Naru pregnant, and thus this story WILL GO ON.

THE SHOW WILL GO OOOOOOOON!!!

Ahem.

MUCH LOVE!!!

asti.


	13. Chapter 13

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Dusk Boulevard

Sasuke coughed hard into a frayed black glove, watching Kabuto's car drive away down the wide lanes of Dusk Boulevard. Suit Square was still flooded; the incessant rains had lasted for almost two weeks now. It had been one and a half weeks since the end of Kabuto's trial, and everything had settled back into near-routine. Whore had gotten miserable in the rain, and now that it was during the week and there were less customers at night, too many hours were spent standing in rain. Sasuke still felt cold, despite the warm shower he'd taken at Kabuto's this morning.

He lit a cigarette, taking a deep, painful drag, and walked toward the glass doors of the little cafe Itachi still insisted on meeting him in. Itachi was sitting at his usual little corner table, and Sasuke savored the warmth of the place as he made his way to sit down.

Most of their meetings ended as the first one had, with Itachi getting a call and disappearing, but surprisingly Sasuke didn't mind them too much. They rarely talked, and hadn't discussed anything at all in the past weeks, but it was slightly relaxing, a nice interlude from Whore at times.

Itachi nodded slightly in greeting when he sat down, without glasses today, looking like perfection in the cafe's smoky air. There was the usual glass of grog and mug of hot chocolate standing on the table.

Sasuke began eating the whipped cream with his spoon, looking at his brother.

Itachi looked back at him calmly, and they must have wasted quite a few moments in silence, because neither of them seemed to want to start the conversation. Speaking seemed to always end in an argument, since Sasuke didn't like to listen to his brother's stupid holier-than-thou and 'big brother' speeches.

Sasuke sighed angrily, and asked, "Are we ever going to have a conversation?" He picked up his cigarette from the ashtray.

Itachi shrugged. "Neither of us is any good at it."

Sasuke couldn't say anything to that. That was a fact.

"How is Mr. Yakushi?" His brother tried.

"Fine," Sasuke said tersely.

"Is he just fine with letting you live like you are?"

"He better be," Sasuke hissed.

"I wouldn't let my partner do that."

"As if you'd ever have a partner. You'd be a horrible fucking boyfriend, Itachi."

Itachi raised an almost indignant eyebrow and murmured haughtily, "Kisame has yet to complain, little brother."

"Yeah, because he's to afraid to say shit—_Kisame?_ That freak? That's fucking disgusting. I didn't wanna know that, Itachi. At _all_."Sasuke grimaced at the idea of Itachi doing anything sexual. That was just wrong.

_Ugh._

Itachi actually let out a soft chuckle at that. His lips curved into the barest hint of a smile, and he said, "You challenged me to say it."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated hiss, biting back an amused grin. He enjoyed sparring with Itachi, even when he lost.

"When did you run away from home?" Itachi asked, voice surprisingly sharp after his last words.

Sasuke looked at him strangely. "I never called it that. Why?"

"Answer, little brother."

"When I was thirteen. And a good thing it was, too. Do you talk to them?"

"They're dead."

That was a shock. Sasuke almost gasped. He had always just taken for granted that his severe father and the shadowy, timid spectre that was his mother were still living their routine in their dead, lifeless suburb house, pining for Itachi and carrying out their stupid battles.

They were dead? "How long ago?"

"About a year. Died on the same day."

"Heh." Sasuke snorted. "Makes sense." He honestly didn't care that much. It was strange, but not sad.

Itachi looked at him penetratingly. "I came looking for you, little brother—at their house."

"You did what?" Sasuke asked, honestly confused. He wasn't sure whether this was a trick or not—Itachi rarely talked this much, this nicely, without a hidden insult. It seemed suspicious.

And his eyes were boring into him, looking too deep.

His brother repeated himself, "I came looking for you—I wanted to take you away."

Sasuke stood up. "You're lying." He hurt inside. He didn't want Itachi talking to him like this, eyes completely black in honesty and some sort of sadness. It wasn't right—it frightened him.

He pulled on his jacket, flinching away from the hand that Itachi reached out to catch his sleeve with. "Sasuke." The man said calmly.

"I'll call you," Sasuke answered sharply, desperately. He needed to get out of here and to Kabuto. Away from whatever his brother had just touched and seen with those insanely deep eyes.

°

The apartment was filled with the sounds of the radio, playing fast, loud modtechno that reverberated throughout the rooms. The kitchen light was on, and Naruto was finishing dinner. He felt sick, as he had been for a while, and was too queasy to even think of making something complicated and standing at the stove with vomit-inducing aromas in his nose.

It was late afternoon—Gaara wasn't due home for a few hours, still working construction out at a site on freezing, windswept Dusk Boulevard. Naruto didn't envy him at all.

He had a bottle of red wine standing on the table, half-full, and was nibbling on the only thing he could stand eating these days—pickles.

The rice and vegetables were frying together in the wok, sizzling and stinking of peanut oil. The smell was aggravating Naruto's upset stomach, and he hoped he wouldn't have to puke again.

He'd been feeling sick for almost a week now, constantly queasy and tired, and Gaara had started to get suspicious, noticing little things like Naruto's not eating. Naruto hadn't said anything so far—Gaara had yet to notice the vomiting, and Naruto didn't want to have to go to the doctor, at all.

He finished the cooking and poured the food into a large bowl, covering it and leaving it on the counter. He wasn't going to eat any of it; his stomach made weird flips at the very thought.

Naruto took a swig out of the wine bottle and left the kitchen, tugging on his long sweater and ragged, ripped up jeans, skin showing through the jagged tears in the fabric. He curled up on the couch with his bottle and watched the gray, heavy rain cascade down the windows, tingeing the light in the room to a melancholy blue.

Gaara had continued being gentle with him in the weeks since the incident with Shukaku, in his own way. Naruto enjoyed it; he liked being able to let down his guard completely at times, and these days he was able to. Gaara had kept this job for a while now, and they had money for the new year soon to come.

The blonde frowned down at his queasy stomach, resting his head on the couch cushions. He felt good, if bored, these days—he wanted something to do, something that made sense. Anko and the stoners still employed him, and Anko had said that she knew a few people who wanted a cleaning person—it was robotic work though, and was all done pretty quickly.

He just felt like he wasn't going anywhere, except for when it came to Gaara.

The doorbell buzzed beneath the noise of the radio, and Naruto placed his bottle on the floor and went to answer it. "Who is it?"

"Me and Sasuke," chirped Haku's melodious voice. "Thought you could use some company."

Naruto grinned. "Come on up."

He left the door open and went to put some tea on, setting the rum bottle on the counter next to the stove for extra flavor. Haku and Sasuke entered the apartment quietly, slipping of their shoes and closing the door and bringing a swath of cigarette smoke into the kitchen.

Haku hugged Naruto tightly, smelling of sweet perfume and nicotine. "Hey, Naru-chan! How've you been?"

Sasuke sat down at the table, nodding hi to the blonde. Naruto grinned back at both of them, shrugged ina nswer to Haku's question, and poured boiling water into a pitcher over tea. "I'm good, I guess. You two?"

Haku smiled. "Pretty good."

Sasuke nodded, "Basically."

"Basically?" Naruto asked skeptically, turning down the radio.

Sasuke took a drag of his cigarette and twitched a slim shoulder. "Yeah, basically."

Haku glanced exasperatedly over at Naruto, rolling big doe-like eyes and reaching over to flick ash off his cigarette into the sink. Sasuke stayed quiet, looking at the skinny, messy-haired blonde.

Haku and Sasuke poured themselves tea in silence, and Naruto made them two bowls of the stirfry and rice.They sat down in the living room, and after Sasuke had eaten half his bowl he set it aside on the floor and said bluntly, "You look like shit, dobe."

Haku laughed, dropping a morsel of meat and his chopsticks into his bowl. "Sasuke!"

Naruto grinned and punched Sasuke on the back of the head. "Fuck you. I'm sick as hell."

"Sick? That flu that everybody's got?" Haku asked.

Naruto shrugged. "Probably. Just fucking sick. Had it for a few days now."

Haku nodded. "Tenten's been sick, too. She's staying at Temari's, right?" He looked over at Sasuke inquiringly.

Sasuke twitched a shoulder. "Yeah."

Naruto's stomach was roiling with nausea, but he was getting better at ignoring it. "Whore's still flooded as hell, right? I haven't been by since the day before yesterday."

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. Soaked."

Haku wrinkled his nose. "I'm always happy that I'm owned whenever the weather gets bad. Its worth making very little money to have a roof over my head and free food."

Naruto laughed. "You're such a calculating, practical kid, Haku."

"I know!" Haku giggled.

"It's not his fault you're a romantic," Sasuke said dryly.

Naruto's eyes widened, and he spluttered, "Look who's talking!"

They all laughed. Once it was quiet again, Haku asked, "You got any alcohol, Naru-chan?"

Naruto nodded and produced his bottle of wine. It was still a quarter full, and they finished it off quickly. The other two finished eating and lit up cigarettes, and the conversation turned to the inevitable... boyfriends.

"Is Zabuza being sober?" Naruto asked, gesturing to Haku's handsome bruise.

"Sometimes," the long-haired teen shrugged. He sighed. "He's not talking much these days."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "He's never talked much, Haku."

Sasuke chuckled softly.

Conversation died away, and the two guests got ready to leave, putting on coats and shawls and boots. Haku gave Naruto an enthusiastic hug. "Get better, sweetheart," he said warmly, giving Naruto a smoky kiss on the cheek and stepping out the door.

Sasuke stayed a few moments, giving Naurto one of those skeptical, _Are you _sure _you're okay? _once-overs. Naruto just laughed at him and said amusedly, "You're such a bastard, Sasuke."

The dark-haired kid's lips twitched and he reached out to roughly run a hand through Naruto's messy hair. "Dobe," he muttered, and left.

Naruto listened to them go down the stairwell until the building door slammed shut behind them, Haku's melodious voice teasing Sasuke relentlessly. Then he shut the door, ran into the bathroom, and puked.

He couldn't stand being sick!

°

He got home tired, despite himself. He usually didn't get tired, used to nights spent awake. But there were exceptions, and rainy days that made his head ache with memories always exhausted him.

At least the skinny, pretty blonde was always waiting for him, smiling explosively when he walked in the door and entertaining him with entirely useless, but amusing chatter. Not that he replied to it, or even listened to it that much, but it was... enjoyable, yes.

The memory of the last unfortunate thief that tried to take the waif away from him still burned furiously in Gaara's mind, now and then, but the Sandman was being amazingly calm, for some obscure reason. Gaara couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that his crazier side knew something he didn't, and that was always an infuriating sensation.

The kid was looking at him curiously over the kitchen table, watching him quietly in that strange way he had sometimes. Those bright, big blue eyes had dark, shadowy rings beneath them, and the tawny skin was paler than usual.

The waif had been stubbornly, secretly sick for a while now, and Gaara had let him be to a certain extent, but he'd be damned if he was going to let it slip tonight—he was in a half-pissed off mood, and the blonde knew it.

He knew Gaara a little too well, sometimes.

Gaara finished his food and watched the kid get up and take his bowl to the sink. He looked pretty, as usual; he was the only thing Gaara had ever called pretty, and that was only because the word 'beautiful' would _never_ enter Gaara's thoughts. Ever.

He was wearing ripped up jeans and an old, ragged T-shirt, slim hips and legs showing slender and golden through the tears in the clothing. Gaara watched him wash the few dishes in the sink—obviously, the waif hadn't eaten anything yet—and stood up slowly, stepping up behind the small, slender form. He slid a hand carefully, almost gently, down the boy's side, keeping back a smile as golden skin shivered delightfully under his touch.

The blonde turned his head and violet eyes, dark with something close to lust, met Gaara's. The man felt a small urge to groan. The waif's eyes were always the most fascinating part of him—Gaara's first thought when he'd seen him on that dreary, dirty street had centered around cutting those amazing orbs out and keeping them for himself...

But that had been _then_, and before he'd known how satisfying the rest of the waif was.

"What's up?" Naruto asked brightly, soft lips rosy in the dim, dreary kitchen light.

Gaara shrugged, watched him fill a bowl. "Raining."

The boy laughed, put the bowl on the table. Gaara sat down. The waif could cook well, very well, and he enjoyed the evenings filled with his bright, mainly useless chatter.

He ate quickly. "You haven't eaten." He stated, once he was done.

Naruto turned his way, interrupted his stream of talking and put down the bowl he was drying off. "No, I'm not hungry."

Gaara bit back an exasperated snarl and stood, caught a slim golden wrist. "Eat."

"I'm not..."he persisted.

Gaara glared down into azure eyes, and the waif gulped. "...okay, I'll eat something."

°

Naruto had, at Gaara's insistence, managed to eat half a bowl of the stirfry, but his stomach was cursing him for it, nausea rising in his chest. He was sitting on the couch next to Gaara, who was drinking vodka and looking at him almost suspiciously.

The blonde stayed quiet, not trusting himself to talk too much right now and trying to control his roiling stomach. Ugh...

"You're sick." Gaara said flatly. Icy green eyes caught Naruto's.

Naruto grimaced. "It's not that bad, Gaara... my stomach's just a little upset."

A nonexistant eyebrow rose, and Gaara reached over, forcefully turned Naruto's head to face him. "Don't lie."

The blonde sighed. "I'm just sick, Gaara, really, it's nothing that bad. _Really._"

The redhead stared at him penetratingly, then nodded slightly and let him go. He put his vodka down, leaned over Naruto and kissed him roughly.

Naruto sighed into the kiss, relaxed. A strong, calloused hand slid up his thigh, unzipped the jeans. Naruto moaned softly and whispered, "Love you."

A soft, raspy chuckle sounded in his ear, and Naruto moaned again as the redhead pushed up his shirt and bit down on one sensitive nipple, almost drawing blood. The blonde whimpered and arched into Gaara, pushing away his queasiness. He had sensitive, barely healed cuts all over his torso, crisscrossing in a stark pattern above the curved _suna_ kanji.

Gaara's teeth moved to bite a fiery trail up Naruto's neck, bruising and breaking skin, the blonde gasping and arching into him. His jeans were on the floor by now, the sweater pushed up to let Gaara's hands tease the old cuts, opening them and letting the blood drip down over his skin.

"Mmh..." Naruto managed, pressing closer to the redhead and wrapping his legs around pale hips, one hand clenched on the sofa cushions, the other fighting with Gaara's zipper.

The blonde arched and moaned as the redhead licked the new blood off of his cuts, finally managing to get the man's jeans open. "Please, Gaara..."

The redhead thrust into him roughly, hands tight on his hips. Naruto bit his lip, keeping back a shriek. Gaara's breathing quickened, and he moved violently inside him, his teeth tugging painfully at Naruto's ear. The pain and pleasure melted together in an intoxicating mixture, coursing through him, bringing him closer and closer, Gaara hard and unyielding inside him, pressing against just _that_ spot, over and over and over...

He wasn't going to last--

"Ah...fuck, _Gaara_!" He arched, tensing, his body shuddering out his climax.

The redhead's snarl shivered down his spine, warm liquid spilling inside him. Naruto lay back, trying to catch his breath, watching Gaara out of half-lidded eyes. The redhead pulled out of him slowly, making him wince, and stood up, leaving the room. Naruto heard running water in the bathroom, and sat up slowly.

The cuts on his torso were still bleeding sluggishly. He stood up, making a face at the slippery feeling of his thighs against each other as he walked to the bathroom.

Gaara was zipping his jeans up, finished with cleaning himself. Cold green slid slowly up and down Naruto's body, Gaara's lips curving in an appreciative almost-smile.

Naruto rolled his eyes and laughed, reaching past the man and grabbing some toilet paper to clean himself off. Gaara left the bathroom, went back to the living room from the sound of it. Naruto washed himself quickly and dried off, then followed the redhead.

He dressed slowly, wincing as the cuts on his chest opened a little further. Gaara was sipping at his vodka, eyes watching him, heavy and warm.

Finished dressing, Naruto leaned back. He gave Gaara a big grin. "You know what?"

Gaara raised what should have been an eyebrow, prompting him to go on.

"I love you." The blonde said, still grinning.

Gaara nodded, lips curving a little. "I know."

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HA! DONE!

okay, so... please review!

Sorry for the delay. Need's been updated, though!!!

Have a nice day!


	14. Chapter 14

Okay, this chapter is dedicated to little Aiden, who was born at 5:22 AM today. And to Chris and Janina, who are going to be the best parents in the world. I love you guys, and Janina, when you read this: YOU HAD BETTER RAISE HIM TO BE A FREAK. I'm not kidding here. He's the first offspring of all of us John-F.-Kennedy School geeks, and he'd better continue the legacy. He's the hope of the next generation! Make all us first generationers proud, you two!!!

All right, so on with the show!!!

Randomness: Macabre, "Werewolf of Bedburg"

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Dusk Boulevard

It was nearly four in the morning, and the last few cars on Whore were leaving for home, most of the whores curling up in their respective nests of bedding and clothes. The rain had stopped for a few days, though the sky was still a threatening grayish-black, no stars visible behind the thick clouds. The houses were all dark, though the Konoha's bright lights still blinked merrily into the darkness. It was cold, but not windy.

Under the awning, no one was asleep. The door to the shop was open, and all the nests and blankets were deserted. Loud voices and music floated out into the quiet street.

None of the Konoha whores had been working, not tonight; they were busy.

"PARTY!!! I LIKE THE PARTY!!" Gai and Lee roared to the beat of some third-rate, bouncy modtechno song, and everybody was drunk enough to laugh.

To avoid pesky customers, they'd locked themselves into the Konoha once Whore had started filling up with cars. Iruka had left a while ago, tottering a little, and Kakashi was standing behind the counter, reading his book half-heartedly. Ino was leaning against Shikamaru, sitting on the floor, cheeks flushed, wearing nothing but a pair of lacy underpants—a consequence of the strip poker game they'd played hours ago. Shikamaru was grumbling to himself, a half-empty bottle of rum in one hand and his eyes fixed on the breasts pressed up against his shoulder.

Neji was watching Lee and Gai sing, a little unsteady on his feet despite his efforts to hide it, leaning against the wall. Kiba and Shino had locked themselves in the back room of the shop, where Kakashi slept and kept his extra products, an hour or so ago. It wasn't hard to guess at what they were doing.

Sasuke, Naruto and Haku were playing their fourth drinking game. With their sixth bottle. This time it was vodka; even Sasuke was speaking unsteadily by now, and Haku had dissolved into endless giggles by the end of the fourth bottle. Naruto was getting louder and louder.

"Oh fuck, I need some more to drink." Ino muttered, untangling herself a little from Shikamaru, who grumbled a little louder. She yelled across the room, "Hey! Gimme some of that, Haku!"

Haku turned halfway, grinning, and handed her the bottle. "So, Shika, you look like you're having fun..." he giggled.

Ino took a deep swig and handed it back, wiping her mouth. She settled back against Shikamaru's shoulder. "He'd better be having fun! Tenten would kill to see this, if she weren't at Temari's! Lucky bastard has me cuddled up to him!"

"Yeah, why actually?" Haku asked, holding back more helpless giggling and ignoring Sasuke's annoyed voice, telling him to get on with the game.

Ino looked at him, then at Shikamaru, then said slowly, "I... don't know!"

Shikamaru grumbled on, eyes following Ino's breasts as she moved closer. Lee and Gai were still trying to sing, and Lee was yelling lyrics into Neji's ear, hands traveling higher and higher under the taller kid's shirt.

Haku watched him, giggled again, and turned back to the drinking game. Sasuke took the bottle from him, giving him an annoyed look. "Stick to it."

"Fuck you, bastard." Naruto muttered, grinning challengingly. "You're not gonna win this round!"

Sasuke raised an unsteady eyebrow. "I liked you better when you were sick, idiot."

"I'm still fucking sick." Naruto grimaced, grabbing the bottle from the dark-haired teen and gulping down three swigs—always one more than the last person.

"One more!" Haku scolded him, faking an indignant tone. "And what do you mean you're still sick? Thought you got better?"

Naruto grimaced and took another drink. "Dunno, I'm just still puking all the fucking time."

Sasuke lit a cigarette. "Idiot. It's like you're pregnant or something."

Haku spat out a stream of vodka, giggling uncontrollably. "_Pregnant!_ Oh, that was _good_."

"Who's pregnant?!" Ino yelled, unsteadily supporting herself on Shika's shoulder, oblivious to the very, very slight pink color in the quiet kid's cheeks. "I've got a pregnancy test!"

"THERE IS NEW LIFE HERE?!" Gai yelled, interrupting his and Lee's duet of 'Like a Virgin'.

"WHERE IS THERE NEW LIFE?!" Lee yelled back. By now, Neji was half-naked and busily working on the ties of his boyfriend's jumpsuit.

Naruto laughed helplessly. "Oh dude, I'm not taking a fucking pregnancy test! I'm not that fucking drunk!"

Haku and Sasuke just looked at him, and Kakashi said, amusement thick in his voice, "Aw, come on, Naru-chan..."

"...no way! I'm a fucking male, okay?" For some reason, Naruto thought of yellow syringes, but he was a little too drunk to hold onto the image.

Sasuke just exhaled smoke and said, "Let's go to the Arcade."

"Yay!" Ino yelled, and Shikamaru flinched.

Lee and Neji were past noticing anything but each other, but Gai roared, "YES! A QUEST! A JOURNEY! LET US GO.. to the... THE ARCADE! YES!"

The door to the back room slid open, and Kiba, shirtless and zipping up his ragged jeans, yelled, "What the fuck're you all yelling about? Can't we even _fuck_ in pea—_ow! _Shino, what the fuck?"

Shino, fully dressed but still flushing brightly, raised his fist again. Kiba gulped. "All right, all right. Calm down."

The two bums sidestepped the writhing mass that was Lee and Neji, and Kakashia nnounced, half-laughing, "We're going to the Arcade so that Naruto can take a pregnancy test."

It was a real proof of how drunk everyone was that Kiba and Shino didn't even argue, just left the shop with the others.

°

Ten minutes later, everyone staggered into the dingy Arcade. Sarutobi woke up from his cat nap at the bar and scowled at them, muttered something, then went back to sleep. A few pathetically addicted men were still sitting at the slot machines, the chiming, beeping and flashing lighting up the smoky gloom. The clink of chips on steel sounded throughout the room.

They traipsed into the bathroom, Ino still hanging off of Shikamaru's shoulder. She'd stopped long enough to throw a dress on, but Shikamaru was still staring. Neji and Lee had been left behind—there'd been no convincing them to untangle themselves from each other.

Gai and Kakashi were singing. It was a scary sight indeed. Sasuke took a deep drag from his cigarette, averting his eyes and keeping himself from shuddering.

Naruto was yelling that this was a stupid idea. He was flushed from the alcohol, and the rings under his eyes hadn't gone away completely yet. Haku had an arm slung over his slim shoulders, smoking and trying to hold back his giggling long enough to convince Naruto to take the stupid test.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and laughed inwardly. They were all so fucking drunk.

He almost walked into the wall, missing the doorway to the bathroom, and amended that thought. They were all fucking drunk, and he was beyond smashed.

Whose idea had the party been, anyway? Somehow everyone had just ended up... inside... and drunk...

Haku was pushing Naruto into one of the grimy, cold gray stalls, and Ino was fumbling with the test packaging. Kakashi and Gai were singing a really bad oldie. Shikamaru had produced a bottle out of thin air and was rapidly gulping it empty.

Kiba was laughing and now he was helping Haku force Naruto into the stall. Shino had grabbed the bottle straight out of Shikamaru's hands and finished it off. Haku managed to close the stall door on a cursing Naruto, and Kiba helped him keep it closed. "You're not coming out till that shit's peed on!" The brown-haired teen yelled gleefully.

Naruto yelled even louder, and then he was quiet. Everyone stared at the stall door.

Ino grabbed Shikamaru and dragged him back out to the main room. Sasuke watched her lean provocatively over the bar and say something to Sarutobi.The grim old man seemed to share Shikamaru's fascination for her cleavage, and immediately began pouring alcohol into a tall yellow glass. Shikamaru was amusing when he was drunk, Sasuke thought.

Haku and Kiba stopped forcing the stall door shut, and gave each other a drunken high five.

"_What the fuck?"_ came Naruto's voice, half-amused, half-shocked.

He slammed open the door of the stall, struggling with the zipper of his jeans. The door knocked into Gai's chest, and he tottered around for a moment before regaining his balance and screeching, "SO, YOUNG ONE? HAVE YOU GAINED THE GIFT OF LIFE?"

Kiba grinned. "I'm happy for you, Naruto!"

Naruto pushed past him and glanced around the bathroom, then went out into the main room and tapped Ino on the shoulder. The girl looked up from her tall swirly drink.

Naruto held up the little plastic stick. "Ino, what the fuck? Is it supposed to be blue?"

Sasuke staggered a little in his attempt to lean coolly against the wall.

Interesting.

°

Tenten groaned under her breath, shifting around in Temari's embrace. Her head hurt. She had been getting better, but then she'd tried to go to work the day before, and _fuck_ had that been a bad idea.

The apartment was dark, the sky outside a complete, inky black. The alarm clock glowed in the darkness, and a packet of headache and fever pills lay on the floor next to a tall bottle of water. Clothing lay everywhere; Temari had been in a really sexy mood tonight.

Tenten stretched and tried to get comfortable again. Her fever was at its worst at night, and she felt all sweaty and shivery, too cold but at the same time too hot. She tugged a little more of the blanket towards her and pressed her forehead into the cool pillow.

She hadn't been this sick in a long time. The usual winter coughing fits didn't count; this was serious stuff. Temari had been really nice, letting her stay at her place and making her tea when she got back from work, cuddling and watching virtvids with her... and the _sex_... yum.

She really wasn't getting to sleep. Maybe she should just get up and read a book or watch virtvision or something...

Right on cue, Temari's phone rang in the living room.

Tenten got up slowly, wincing as her headache got worse for a moment. She grabbed a shirt off the floor and tugged it on, feeling cold again. Hurrying into the living room, she grabbed the phone. It was pretty damn early for a phone call; who the hell could be calling?

"Yeah?" she muttered, voice thick and raspy from trying to sleep.

"TENTEN, IS THAT YOU?!" Ino screeched. "Guess what, guess what, guess what!"

Tenten winced. It'd been a while since she'd seen or heard Ino this drunk. "What?"

"Naru-chan's PREGNANT!!! ISN'T IT AWESOME?!"

"Ino, you're pretty damn drunk, aren't you?"

"No, no, no! I mean, yeah, but I'm not being drunk about this! He's really pregnant! He took a test and all! It turned blue! He's pregnant!"

"..okay."

"Ten-_teeeen_! I mean it!"

"Okay, I'm going to bed." Tenten said, stifling a yawn.

"But, Te--"

_Click._

Tenten shuffled back into the bedroom, took off the shirt, and cuddled back into Temari. She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep.

Must have been a pretty wild party.

°


	15. Chapter 15

Oh. My. God.

TWO YEARS. Raaaaah!

So much has happened! I'm so sorry; I haven't had my own computer in years, and I literally got my new one a week ago. So, here, FINALLY, is the new chapter.

And, please, welcome my beautiful baby boy Soeren! He's now all of 5 months, and gurgling and drooling away.

Dusk Boulevard

"Ugh.." Naruto opened his eyes a crack and groaned again as an earsplitting headache made its nasty self known. Right after the pain came a wave of extreme nausea. He sat up, holding his mouth with both hands, and bolted to the bathroom.

He was never drinking again!

"Ack." He wiped his mouth and got up from his crouch over the toilet. Staggering to the sink, he brushed his teeth, wincing at his haggard reflection. Only some of the paleness and the dark rings under his eyes were from the night before, and he knew that even without his hangover he would have had a roiling stomach. Something wasn't right.

It had been fun at the Konoha, though. They had still played some slots at the Arcade, and Sarutobi had even poured them a round on the house, which was unheard of for the stingy old geezer. But it had probably been a long time since there'd been so many laughing people at his bar. At around six they'd all drifted their separate ways, and Naruto vaguely remembered staggering home and giving a disgruntled Gaara lots of cuddly hugs.

He winced again. Amazing that he was still alive.

Speaking of Gaara...

He rubbed his temples and returned to the bedroom. The light filtering in through the windows was a grayish-white, and the futon was empty. The redhead must have gone to work already... well, no surprise there, it must have been past ten. Naruto went to the closet and found a clean shirt and jeans, pulling them on over his scabs and bruises. He didn't even think they'd had sex last night; he'd been really wasted.

He turned on the radio in the kitchen and made himself a cup of tea, sipping slowly and listening to some tinny modtechno.

He fuzzily remembered taking a pregnancy test. One that had turned out positive...

"Heh, yeah right." Funny stuff.

Once the tea was done, he heaved himself out of his chair and started cleaning up the apartment; there were empty shotglasses littering the living room floor around the couch, and clothes scattered throughout the bedroom. The genkan was scuffed and gravelly from the icy, wet weather, and the kitchen was a mess.

Something was niggling at the back of this thoughts, but he resolutely ignored it.

He was never drinking again!

000

Sasuke was always beautiful, but in sleep he looked almost angelic, his face missing its usual scowl. He was lying on his belly, head pillowed on one arm and hair sticking up in all directions, breathing slow and shallow. The covers were twisted around him, sheets tangled around his hips and baring the long sensual curve of his spine. The bedroom smelled of cigarettes and sex.

The teenager had come staggering in, drunk as could be, in the early morning, had flopped into bed next to Kabuto and woken him up thoroughly. They'd gone at it like animals until Sasuke had fallen into a drunken, hazy slumber.

Kabuto watched him sleep, eyes skipping over the sharply defined angles of his shoulder blades and the lean muscles of his arms. Bite marks varying from light pink to an angry red dotted his pale skin, and Kabuto was pretty sure they were his doing.

Pretty sure.

He grimaced. He'd tried his best to tell himself he didn't care about Sasuke's job, but it was a bad lie from the start. The more he got used to having Sasuke around, the more he wanted him there all the time. Not seeing him was bad enough, but knowing he was touching other men... it made him want to break something.

The clock said it was ten—he would normally have been at work a while ago, but he'd go in later today. He'd slept so little that it had been hard to get up and make them breakfast earlier. Thankfully the family they carpooled with had had driving duty today. He didn't think he'd have been up to it.

The balcony doors were open a tiny crack, letting in a cold draft. The sky outside was slate gray, dark rainclouds threatening on the horizon. Sasuke's clothes were scattered on the carpet.

Sasuke shifted in his sleep, turning over to lie on his side, facing Kabuto. The man reached out and gently ruffled his hair. "Sasuke."

The boy stirred again, and groaned. His eyes opened a crack. "Oh, fuck." He muttered hoarsely. "You're an asshole."

Kabuto laughed, lowering his voice when Sasuke winced. "I'm going to work—do I at least get a goodbye kiss?"

Sasuke growled, but beckoned for him to move closer. The man chuckled and pressed his mouth to the soft, smoke-flavored lips. Sasuke tasted of cigarettes and alcohol, and a little bit of ramen.

He broke for air and said, "Stay as long as you want. There're still leftovers in the fridge. "

"Hn." Sasuke had already buried his head in the sheets again. Kabuto grinned and kissed his spine. He stood up from the bed, shivering in the chilly bedroom. Sasuke grumbled something and pulled the blankets up to his shoulders.

Suit, shirt and socks from the closet, and a quick wash in the bathroom, and Kabuto was ready to go. He pulled on his jacket and shoes on the genkan, and stepped out into the frigid morning. He let himself hope, a little, that Sasuke would still be there when he got back.

He knew it wouldn't happen.

000

"See you tomorrow, Temari-san," the bored, Solitaire-playing receptionist called.

"Yeah, see you." Temari replied.

She stepped through the doors of the institute, shuddering. It had turned icy cold this morning—the rain had stopped, but it seemed like the usual year-round winter was setting in. Thankfully, the winds hadn't started yet.

The sky was a cloudy, freezing gray, and the bedraggled, constantly dying plants that decorated the Institute's path to the sidewalk were decorated with little white crystals. It was amazing they still bloomed occasionally.

She pulled her coat tight around her and slipped her hands into her pockets, hissing. Damn weather control.

Temari hurried to her car—she'd actually managed to find a decent parking spot this morning—and started it up, backing out. She was meeting up with Kankuro, for their habitual coffee and sandwich on City Plaza. They usually did it once a week, for no real reason. It was just their little sibling thing. No pierced freak, and not much talking.

She drove slowly; the roads were icy, gleaming dangerously in the gray light. Her radio played some weird modtechno crap, but she didn't turn it off. Tenten usually fiddled with it all the time. She'd been in the car with Temari often in the past weeks, since she'd gotten sick.

She'd been so sick she had stayed at Temari's place for almost ten days straight now, longer than they had ever spent together before. Temari had to admit, it wasn't as irritating as she'd always expected sharing her apartment with a lover would be.

Tenten had been asleep when she'd left this morning, pretty face still fever-flushed, and dark rings under her eyes. She'd slept horribly these last two nights.

Temari made an exasperated noise. She had _told_ her not to go to Whore the day before yesterday, had _told_ her she wasn't healthy enough yet-

Well, on the other hand, Tenten being so sick meant that Temari could wake up with her and have great sex and interesting conversations for a few more days. There was a good side to everything, it seemed.

Temari found a parking spot not too far from City Plaza—the weather had emptied the streets. A light snow had started falling, a thin white layer of flakes coating the sidewalk. She locked the doors and set the alarm, and made her careful way along the icy sidewalk towards the sibling's usual cafe.

Kankuro was already waiting in the warm little place, empty except for them and a few scattered lone customers. The waitress was cleaning the countertop half-heartedly.

Temari pulled out a chair next to her brother and draped her coat over it before sitting down. "Hey."

Kankuro nodded in greeting, pushing one of two coffees towards her. "What's up?"

Temari shrugged and sipped at her coffee. The cafe had horrible coffee, but then most places had horrible coffee. State coffee was disgusting, always had been. And Western coffee was impossibly expensive—their father had always had a little silver tin of dark, creamy stuff which he'd only used when he was scolding them or entertaining a doomed 'business partner'. She had loved that tin of Western.

"Not much," she finally said. "Tenten's still sick, work's going as usual. You still at that supermarket?"

Kankuro grimaced. "It's a shopping center, not a supermarket. Yeah. They've put me in the kiddie section now. I have to sort baby clothes all the time. Fucking sucks."

Temari chuckled.

"Hey, you know what?" Kankuro asked after a moment of silence. He was fiddling with the zipper of his black sweatshirt. He was wearing red face paint today.

Temari looked at him expectantly.

"You think Yasha's ever gonna have kids?"

"Uncle Yashamaru? Of course not, he's as gay as can be. And Baki's not a fatherly sort of guy." Temari muttered, wondering where Kankuro was going with this. "Why? Did he say he wanted kids?"

Neither of them had much to do with their uncle unless something had happened to Gaara. Yasha never really left the bar he worked at on Slum Street, and so they barely ever saw each other. Temari didn't like going down there; besides, the image of her last painful experience there, which had left her with a cleanly broken wrist, was still quite present.

Kankuro stopped fiddling with his sweatshirt. "No, I just... you know, _his_ deathday was Saturday."

Temari's eyes widened. "Oh. _Oh._"

She never remembered their father's deathday—she'd never missed him much, and he'd never been much of a father to her. She doubted Gaara remembered it, either. But Kankuro had always been the eldest boy, and their father had been the nicest to him when their mother was still alive. After that he hadn't noticed any of them much, but Kankuro had always been the most forgiving of the three.

"You remember, he used to always spout stuff about his heirs and all that?" Kankuro said, grinning a little. "I was thinking about that the other day, wondering who's actually gonna have his heir."

Temari laughed. "No one," she said. "I'm not having kids. Neither is Gaara—that's a sick image. You mean you want to adopt a baby? Or are you breaking up with Ukon and marrying some lawyer chick?"

Kankuro shook his head, grinning. "Nah, I don't want kids. Ukon'd probably strangle them after a week or so. I was just thinking about old shit."

Temari chuckled at the image of Ukon with a kid, then grimaced at the mental image. "Ugh. That's sick."

Kankuro laughed.

The door to the cafe opened, and a tall man slipped in. Kankuro glanced at him, and his eyes widened. Temari followed his gaze.

Was that that kid off Whore—Sasuke? No, this guy was taller, and his hair was different... and so were his eyes. He sat down at a little corner table, and Temari and Kankuro turned away.

"He looks familiar," Kankuro muttered.

"Like Naruto's friend."

Kankuro nodded, and they shrugged simultaneously. Temari ordered new coffees. They made pleasant, distracted small talk, and the next time the door opened to the cold, they whipped around to look who had come in.

Predictably, it was Sasuke, who looked paler than usual and had slight bags under his eyes. Temari realized, after a moment, that this was perfection with a hangover.

Sasuke didn't look around, making a beeline for the table his older look-alike was sitting at. He sat down and they began to talk, at which point Temari looked away. "Brothers," she said.

Kankuro nodded, and they finished their coffees in silence.

Sasuke collapsed into the chair across from his brother, stifling a yawn with one gloved hand. He felt like he'd been dragged over hot coals and then run over by an army truck. Thank god for Kabuto's great shower.

He was never going to drink that much again.

Itachi just stared at him, wearing an expression of tightly controlled incredulity, And amusement.

Sasuke snarled at him. "What?"

"Long night?" Itachi asked, a slight undercurrent of contempt in his neutral voice.

Sasuke scowled. "An unexpected and idiotic party."

"Ah."

Sasuke lit a cigarette and gestured slightly at the hot chocolate in front of him. "Why is it always hot chocolate?"

"Healthier than coffee." His brother answered blandly.

This was turning out to be pretty peaceful—Sasuke simply didn't have the energy to be pissed off. He shifted and tugged off his gloves and sweater. "Tastes better, too."

He busied himself with his hot chocolate. Itachi was staring at him, as usual. After a good couple minutes, he took a sip of his grog. "What would you do with twenty thousand?"

Sasuke looked up from his whipped cream. That was random. "Cel? You been taking your meds lately? How the hell would I get twenty grand?"

Itachi leaned back in his chair. His gaze always swirled red, unlike Sasuke's mood-dependent eyes. Shrugging sinuously, he said, "Hypothetically speaking."

Sasuke rubbed his aching temples. "No idea. I'd probably... buy everyone at the Konoha some food that isn't ramen... and take Kabuto on a trip. Why?"

"Hn." Itachi stared at the sticky tabletop. "I still have our father's inheritance in an account. I don't need it."

"So?" Sasuke hissed, angry that the information hurt. Of course Itachi would have gotten their parents' inheritance; it shouldn't have been a shock. He gulped down his hot chocolate to hide his discomfort.

"It's yours, under one condition."

Sasuke dropped his spoon. Had he just heard that right? He lit a new cigarette, his last one having dwindled to nothing in the ashtray. Looking everywhere but at Itachi, he muttered, "Why?"

"I don't need it." His brother repeated.

Sasuke smoked nervously. There had to be a catch. "What condition?"

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "You're stupider than you look. What do you think the condition is?"

Sasuke stared out at the gray square. The cafe windows were misty with condensation, but he could still make out the forms huddled against the cold at the bus stop, and the sluggish lines of traffic. "Tch." Yeah, he knew what the condition was.

000

Naruto unlocked the family block door and shoved his way inside, juggling bags of groceries. The door fell shut with a clang behind him, and he groaned in comfort. It was _freezing_ outside. The stairwell felt balmy in comparison. The smell of frying meat hung in the air, and he could hear children yelling somewhere upstairs.

He started up the stairs, cursing the lack of an elevator for the nth time. At least his headache was gone; only a little nausea lingered from his hangover, and it could have just been his sickness.

Anko had been in an extra good mood today—it seemes she'd sold one of her paintings for a great price, and she'd been cackling on her couch the whole time he was cleaning. She'd given him double his usual pay.

He'd stopped at Suit Square to grab some food, since their fridge was woefully empty. It had all gotten pretty late, though; it was already dark outside the stairwell windows, the stars hidden behind thick black clouds.

He made it, huffing, to their floor, and fumbled in his jacket pockets for the keys. "Damn it... where—"

There was a soft chuckle behind him, and Naruto turned around. "You're back already? It's later than I thought."

Gaara almost smiled at him through the gloom of the stairwell. He held up a keyring with a familiar little fox on it, and fitted it in the lock.

Naruto shook his head. "I left it in the door? Shit. Good thing you came when you did."

Gaara pushed the door open and took two of Naruto's bags from him, setting them down up on the tatami before leaning down to unlace his boots. Sheetrock dust and wood shavings clung to the faded leather of his jacket.

The blonde set down the rest of the bags and toed off his sneakers, stepping up onto the tatami. "Damn, it's so cold out! Must have dropped to a hundred last night." He hung his jacket on the line of hooks by the kitchen door and pulled off the two sweaters he was wearing underneath, leaving him in a soft, worn orange T-shirt. Lugging the groceries into the kitchen, he began putting them away.

The apartment was pleasantly warm, and he'd cleaned it up pretty well this morning, so it felt cozy and not messy. He put water on and took out mugs and tea.

He'd make ramen tonight—nothing better than soup and noodles on a cold day. He still had noodles and fixings from his birthday party. Hopefully there were still fish cakes...

A cool, calloused palm cupped the back of his neck, and Gaara stepped close to him. Naruto jumped. He didn't think he'd ever get used to how _quiet _the redhead was. "How was work?"

Gaara pulled him against his body, hands sliding under Naruto's shirt. The blonde shivered. Gaara was still being gentler with him, even though it had been almost a month since the stuff with Shukaku. Of course gentle for Gaara wasn't the usual meaning of the word, but Naruto noticed.

The redhead nipped at the back of his neck, hands rough under his shirt. Naruto writhed. With the last of his composure, he gasped, "Don't you want to eat first?"

Gaara just growled into his ear, breath ghosting hot over the sensitive skin. The blond whimpered. He sure wasn't about to complain.

Gaara bent him over the counter, pushing his shirt up and biting a burning trail down his spine. His hands tore at Naruto's jeans, unzipping them and yanking them down to bunch up at his knees. Calloused fingers dug into his buttocks, kneading violently.

"Mmm... Gaara—" Naruto shook his head, trying to clear it, but then sharp teeth buried themselves in his hip, hard enough to draw blood. "Gah!"

Rough knuckles brushed over his entrance, fingers teasing the sensitive rim. The blond bit his lip. Though gentleness was good, he missed the fiery ache of Gaara's knife and the violence. Though the redhead had opened old wounds, it had been weeks since he'd used a blade on him. Naruto ached for it.

His hands scrabbled along the counter, finding the right drawer just as Gaara pushed the first two fingers inside him. Naruto groaned at the burning pain.

Gaara's breathing was just barely husky, but enough to be noticeable. His teeth worried at Naruto's ears, neck, collarbone.

The blonde yanked open the drawer, fingers closing on the first knife he found. "Gaara...wait, please, I want—"

Gaara goraned under his breath, and the fingers left none-too-gently, one hand pushing him down violently, the other grabbing the knife out of his slack grip.

Naruto panted against the cool counter, excitement thrilling through him. Finally!

The first cut was pure ecstasy, a shock of fiery ice down his side. The second even better, slicing up his thigh. Naruto moaned desperately. "Gaara.."

The redhead forced his legs further apart, the knife still circling, opening old scabs and burning new ones into his skin. Jeans rustled, and Naruto cried out, impatient.

Gaara buried himself inside him in one hot stroke, and Naruto shrieked. So good—so full—he whimpered, writhed on the counter. "More..more!"

The redhead snarled, the knife forgotten as he grabbed Naruto's hips in a bruising grip and fucked him violently. The blonde sobbed in pleasure and pain, blood slippery on his skin, Gaara's cock too deep, too hard—

He arched into him as he struck that wonderful spot deep inside, screaming. "...oh...ah...I can't...!"

Gaara crushed him against his body, mouth finding the side of Naruto's neck, sucking hard. His hips moved harder, deeper, rhythm faltering as he lost control. The blonde whimpered, body trembling with his imminent climax, frantically pushing back to meet Gaara's thrusts.

Gaara bit down hard, muffling a hoarse groan as he came. The painful bite pushed Naruto over the edge, his voice breaking on a shriek, body shuddering wildly.

Gaara thrust once more, hot cum dripping down Naruto's thighs. They caught their breath, unable to move for a minute.

Slowly, Gaara pulled out of the blonde, their bodies parting with an obscene pop. Naruto moaned shakily. "That was good..."

The redhead chuckled softly and zipped up his jeans, licking blood off of Naruto's back. He turned on the electric kettle again, and left the kitchen.

Naruto moaned again, this time in pain. He carefully straightened his T-shirt, and tottered to the bathroom to clean up. He could hear Gaara rustling around in the bedroom. He wiped himself off carefully, noticing blood seeping through his shirt. Damn, he had missed this.

He finished cleaning up and returned to the kitchen, pouring the hot water into two mugs with tea. He set them on the table just as Gaara came in, dressed in fresh clothes. The redhead sat down. "Waif."

Naruto shivered. Gaara's voice drove him up the wall. In a good way. "What?"

The redhead just shrugged slightly, eyes raking the blonde's body. He had thought the pretty thing would enjoy some gentleness; it seemed he wasn't the only one with some sanity missing.

The blonde continued looking at him, confused. His hair was mussed, his cheeks still flushed. The traces of illness were still there, but the glow of sex had taken some of his pallor away. Blood seeped steadily into his shirt.

After another moment, the deep blue eyes closed, and Naruto shrugged. "Whatever. Love you, Gaara."

0000000

Ugh, not my best. But it'll do. Thank you sooooooo much for your patience~! Please review and tell me whether it sucked too badly. I'm really out of practice.

Next up is Need! Then I'll do this, and then Need again, and so on!

Love you all!


End file.
